Ggn air still ‘moderate’, temperature to fall further

Gurgaon: Air quality index (AQI) in the city remained in the ‘moderate’ range on Sunday, but deteriorated marginally in comparison with Saturday. Officials said falling mercury, increased humidity and no winds contributed to the slight rise. Mercury is likely to plunge further to 7°C in the city, while shallow fog during wee hours is likely to continue for the next five days. By Tuesday, minimum temperature is expected to drop to 5°C, intensifying the cold.
Officials said slow wind speed might be responsible for the current intensification of fog, but added that overall, pollution was ‘moderate’. The AQI in Gurgaon on Sunday was 112, up from 102 on Saturday. “We’ve been getting a shallow fog during mornings, when visibility drops,” an official at Regional Weather Forecasting Centre said.

“There are reasons for this. Firstly, we have lot of moisture in the air. The humidity percentage went up to 100 yesterday. Secondly, temperatures are quite favourable. The minimum was well below 8°C. Thirdly, movement of air, which only picks up speed during afternoons, is also favourable.”

Officials said visibility has been clearing as the day proceeds. They said this will remain the trend for the next couple of days.

They also said clear skies will alternate between haze and smoke, with mornings remaining particularly foggy. Mercury is also likely to go down further.

Officials are expecting temperatures to dip to as low as 5°C on Tuesday, signalling intensification of cold across the region. On Sunday, maximum temperature rose to 21°C, while minimum dropped to 7°C. Cold wind movement also kept the day pretty chilly. Gurgaon on Sunday continued to be NCR’s least polluted city, with AQI 282 in Delhi, 236 in Faridabad, 326 in Ghaziabad, 320 in Greater Noida and 272 in Noida.