Noida air quality in ‘emergency’ category
The reading at 10am at the Sector 125 monitoring station in Noida was 280 for particulate matter (PM) 2.5 and 534 for PM10 on Tuesday. The AQI goes to the ‘severe+’ category when either PM 2.5 value is recorded higher than 300 or PM10 value is higher than 500.
Air quality in Noida on Tuesday worsened despite light rain in the morning, when the air quality index (AQI) reached the ‘severe+’ or ‘emergency’ category at one of the two monitoring stations in the city for a brief period.
The reading at 10am at the Sector 125 monitoring station in Noida was 280 for particulate matter (PM) 2.5 and 534 for PM10. The AQI goes to the ‘severe+’ category when either PM 2.5 value is recorded higher than 300 or PM10 value is higher than 500.
The readings at the Sector 62 monitoring station in Noida as well as Knowledge Park in Greater Noida were also in the ‘severe’ category. The average AQI for the day remained in ‘severe’ in the three NCR cities, with Ghaziabad at 438, Greater Noida at 411 and Noida at 426.
Officials said sudden dip in temperature is keeping the polluted air trapped. On Tuesday, the maximum temperature in Noida was 29.4 degrees Celsius, two degrees lower than Monday, and minimum was 14.2 degrees Celsius, one degree Celsius lower than Monday.
“Natural weather changes cannot be controlled. Wind direction, speed and temperature affect air quality. However, all efforts are being made to ensure air quality is not worsened by man-made factors here. The actions being undertaken as of now are those which fall under recommendations for the ‘severe+’ category,” Anil Singh, regional officer of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), said.
He added that daily monitoring of construction work, sprinkling of water and restricting movement of older vehicles is being done.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT), in an earlier order, had ruled that petrol vehicles more than 15-years-old and diesel vehicles more than 10-years-old will not be allowed to ply on NCR roads.
There are about 53,000 vehicles registered in Noida which have reached their age limit, as mandated by the NGT, and need to be deregistered. The transport department has issued a public notice and is conducting checking drives as well.
“We have informed the traffic police and are also conducting drives to check older vehicles plying on the roads. The vehicles are being deregistered as and when they are caught on the roads,” A K Pandey, assistant regional transport officer, said.
Meanwhile, a haze cover was seen over all the three cities till afternoon on Tuesday as the temperature lowered.
However, the AQI is expected to come down in the coming few days as light rain was seen at many parts of the three cities which, according a report by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), will continue on Wednesday. This will be followed by mist for two days, and the beginning of shallow fog may be seen from Saturday onwards, the report adds.
The report adds that light rain or thundershowers are also likely over parts of Punjab, North Rajasthan, Haryana and west Uttar Pradesh over the next 48 hours.
“The atmospheric conditions would be favourable for mixing of pollutants, both vertically and horizontally, and therefore would result in comparatively improved air quality till November 17,” states the IMD report.
A UPPCB official, not authorised to speak to the media, said a forecast report by the Indian Technological Institute, Madras, who has been monitoring pollution conditions in the NCR, also mentions that air quality is likely to improve after November 13 as impact of biomass burning is marginal over Delhi, and the number of instances of stubble burning over the north-west region of the country also seems to be reducing.