Pollution level comes down, but still in severe category for fifth day

Ghaziabad/Noida: The air quality index (AQI) in Ghaziabad and Noida remained in the ‘severe’ category for the fifth consecutive day on Monday. While Ghaziabad recorded an AQI of 437, marginally below the AQI of 455 on Sunday, Noida recorded an AQI of 412, down from 446 on Sunday. Meanwhile, Greater Noida recorded an AQI of 328 in the 'very poor' category, down from 365 on Sunday. The AQI has been improving in all three districts since Diwali.
All four pollution monitoring stations in Ghaziabad recorded AQI in the ‘severe’ category. At 461, Loni’s AQI was the highest on Monday, followed by Sanjay Nagar with an AQI of 441, Indirapuram with an AQI of 438 and Vasundhara with 433 AQI.
Meanwhile, in Noida, the Sector 62 pollution monitoring station recorded the highest AQI of 442. According to Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), this is due to industries and heavy traffic movement in the area. Sector 116 recorded an AQI of 421, followed by sectors 125 and 403 with AQIs of 413 and 403, respectively. UPPCB officials also said that the pollution levels have been highest during the night when temperatures drop to the lowest.
Officials with the Noida Authority said that mechanical sweeping machines and smog guns have been arranged to bring the pollution under control. However, several residents complained that the mechanical sweeping machines are ineffective and cover only the right side of the road.
The two monitoring stations in Greater Noida recorded AQIs in the ‘very poor’ category. The AQI at Knowledge Park 3 was 370 and the AQI at Knowledge Park-5 was 388.
On the other hand, the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi and Gurgaon improved to 'very poor' on Monday after staying in the 'severe' category for the past three days. Delhi recorded an AQI of 390 on Monday compared with 429 on Sunday. Similarly, Gurgaon recorded an AQI of 369 on Monday, down from 419 on Sunday.
The share of stubble burning in Delhi’s PM2.5 reduced from 48% on Sunday to 30% on Monday. Experts said air quality touched the “very poor” category mainly due to reduction in the share of stubble burning.