Manesar sees highest spike in pollutants day after Diwali

Gurgaon: An analysis of data obtained from the city’s five air monitoring stations has revealed that Manesar witnessed the highest spike in the air quality index (AQI) post Diwali at 33.3%. After Manesar, the Gwalpahari station witnessed the highest spike on Friday compared to the previous day (29%), followed by Teri Gram (27.8%), Vikas Sadan (26%) and Sector 51 (8%).
At the Manesar station on Friday, the AQI was recorded at 472. It stood at 478 at Teri Gram, 473 at Gwalpahari, 466 at Vikas Sadan and 464 at Sector 51, all ‘severe’. A day ago, it was 354 at Manesar, 374 at Teri Gram, 366 at Gwalpahari and 369 at Vikas Sadan, all ‘very poor’. Sector 51 reported ‘severe’ AQI at 425 on Thursday.
While PM2.5 and PM10 were the most prominent contributors to air pollution on Friday, there was a high presence of toxic pollutants like ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur oxide as well in all five stations. In Teri Gram, the PM2.5 level stood at 477 on Friday, while PM10 was 447. In Sector 51, the PM2.5 was 422 after Diwali and PM10 was 424. The PM2.5 level at Vikas Sadan, which doesn’t monitor PM10, stood at 466. Meanwhile, Gwalpahari saw a PM2.5 level of 475 and PM10 of 424. In Manesar, the PM2.5 level was recorded at 455, while PM10 stood at 359.
Experts said there has been a substantial rise in the level of pollutants a day after Diwali. “Micro-climatic conditions like upwards or downwards wind movement and temperature variations are responsible for accumulation of pollutants at one spot. They are responsible for the deterioration of air quality at a hotspot like Manesar,” Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy) at Centre for Science and Environment, told TOI.
Speaking about other hotspots like Teri Gram, Gwalpahari and Vikas Sadan, she said: “Factors like firecrackers, waste burning and pollution from stubble burning are creating these hotspots.”
Experts also stressed that the bursting of crackers intensified the accumulation of PM2.5 in the lower atmosphere in the night hours, which led to peak values of PM2.5 crossing the 1,000 µg/m3 mark at most locations.Smog was visible in the morning and poor wind conditions are delaying dispersion, allowing particulate matter to stay afloat