Gurgaon air quality ‘very poor’ for 5th straight day

Gurgaon: The city air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category for the fifth consecutive day, with the AQI at 324 on Friday compared to 323 on Thursday. From November 15 to 17, the city recorded AQIs of 332, 369, 344, respectively.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), a depression system over the Bay of Bengal (BoB) is preventing winds from picking up speed and the AQI may remain in the ‘very poor’ category for two more days.
“There is a depression in southwest BoB, which doesn't allow winds to blow from the northwest, resulting in calm conditions in the lower atmosphere. Till the depression is cleared, (the air quality in) Delhi-NCR will remain the same. We are expecting rain in two days and then the air quality will improve a bit,” said Dr Dipankar Saha, former head at Central Pollution Control Board.
Three of the four monitoring stations in Gurgaon recorded ‘very poor’ air quality on Friday, with Vikas Sadan recording the highest AQI of 357 followed by Sector 51 recording an AQI of 347 and Teri Gram recording an AQI of 333. Meanwhile, Gwal Pahari was the only monitoring station that registered 'poor' air quality, with an AQI of 258.
In Faridabad, the air quality marginally declined on Friday, with the AQI at 352, up from 348 on Thursday.
According to Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), civic authorities and other agencies were taking anti-pollution measures across the state.
“Construction sites are being inspected by our teams regularly. Also, unauthorised parking is a major concern as it leads to traffic congestion and emission of harmful gases into the atmosphere by waiting vehicles. We are also ensuring that people do not drive polluting vehicles, which are a major source of air pollution in some parts of the city. All concerned departments are taking adequate steps to mitigate air pollution,” said a senior official from HSPCB.