GURUGRAM: The city became the least polluted one in NCR on Wednesday and Tuesday, with the air quality index (AQI) coming down to 228 on Wednesday and 192 on Tuesday.
Other cities of NCR — Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad — on the other hand, recorded higher AQI at 270, 264 and 359 on Wednesday, and 219, 224 and 290 on Tuesday, respectively.
The highest level of PM2.5 in Gurgaon also came down to 86.07 micrograms per cubic metre on Tuesday from 194 micrograms per cubic metre recorded on Sunday, a decrease of 55%. The highest level of PM2.5 level increased slightly on Wednesday and was recorded at 99.85 micrograms per cubic metre.
According to the officials of Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), the level of air pollution is expected to come down further in next two to three days. "Thanks to rain and a slight increase in the wind speed, the PM2.5 levels have come down in the city. Air in Gurgaon, in particular, has become cleaner. As per the Met department, the situation can further improve with one or two spells of shower in the city," said Jai Bhagwan, regional officer, HSPCB.
Bhagwan, however, added that all measures under graded response action plan (GRAP) will continue to be implemented. "Right now, GRAP measures for the 'poor' to 'very poor' level are implemented in the city. We hope that situation will improve further in the next 48 hours and we will be able to implement measures for the 'moderate' to 'poor' level. However, we will implement all the measures as instructed by EPCA (Environment Pollution Control Authority) to keep the pollution levels under control and avoid any spike in the PM2.5 levels due to man-made factors," he said.
While all brick kilns in the region continue to remain shut in the city for the past two months, the use of pet coke and furnace oil have been banned and a ban has also been implemented on firecrackers. Periodic mechanised sweeping and water sprinkling is carried out every two days.
GRAP measures for 'moderate' to 'poor' level are implemented when PM2.5 levels are between 60 to 120 micrograms per cubic metre, while 'poor' to 'very poor' level is implemented when PM2.5 levels are between 121 and 250 micrograms per cubic metre.
Other cities of NCR — Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad — on the other hand, recorded higher AQI at 270, 264 and 359 on Wednesday, and 219, 224 and 290 on Tuesday, respectively.
The highest level of PM2.5 in Gurgaon also came down to 86.07 micrograms per cubic metre on Tuesday from 194 micrograms per cubic metre recorded on Sunday, a decrease of 55%. The highest level of PM2.5 level increased slightly on Wednesday and was recorded at 99.85 micrograms per cubic metre.
According to the officials of Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), the level of air pollution is expected to come down further in next two to three days. "Thanks to rain and a slight increase in the wind speed, the PM2.5 levels have come down in the city. Air in Gurgaon, in particular, has become cleaner. As per the Met department, the situation can further improve with one or two spells of shower in the city," said Jai Bhagwan, regional officer, HSPCB.
Bhagwan, however, added that all measures under graded response action plan (GRAP) will continue to be implemented. "Right now, GRAP measures for the 'poor' to 'very poor' level are implemented in the city. We hope that situation will improve further in the next 48 hours and we will be able to implement measures for the 'moderate' to 'poor' level. However, we will implement all the measures as instructed by EPCA (Environment Pollution Control Authority) to keep the pollution levels under control and avoid any spike in the PM2.5 levels due to man-made factors," he said.
While all brick kilns in the region continue to remain shut in the city for the past two months, the use of pet coke and furnace oil have been banned and a ban has also been implemented on firecrackers. Periodic mechanised sweeping and water sprinkling is carried out every two days.
GRAP measures for 'moderate' to 'poor' level are implemented when PM2.5 levels are between 60 to 120 micrograms per cubic metre, while 'poor' to 'very poor' level is implemented when PM2.5 levels are between 121 and 250 micrograms per cubic metre.
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