Back in 'very poor' zone, Gurugram air likely to stay so for next 3 days

GURUGRAM: The city's air quality slipped to 'very poor' on Tuesday, worsening from a notch below in the AQI scale the day before, as meteorologists predict more polluted days ahead. The 24-hour average air quality index touched 312 on Tuesday.
At 310, Gurugram's AQI had deteriorated to 'very poor' on Sunday after a gap of 16 days. It improved on Monday, dipping to 282 (poor) as winds washed away some of the pollutants in the air. The wind speed was around 3kmph.

Low temperatures as winter sets in along with other weather conditions such as calm winds are likely to suspend pollutants in the atmosphere over Delhi-NCR. AQI could reach the upper end of 'very poor' category over the next three days, experts said.
"As winds are now moving from the north-west direction, cold winds from the snow-capped mountains are likely to drop the temperature of the region (NCR), which will further make the air quality stay in 'very poor' category," the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast.
The occurrence of smog in the early morning hours is also expected to increase with the deterioration of AQI in NCR cities, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).
"The AQI is likely to be 'very poor' for the next three days due to the net effect of local emissions and efficiency of dispersion and ventilation," said a Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) official.
On Tuesday, all four air quality monitoring stations in the city recorded average AQI in 'very poor'. At Sector-51, the AQI was 348; Teri Gram was at 300, Gwal Pahari at 314 and Vikas Sadan at 310.
HSPCB officials said that civic authorities and other agencies were following all anti-pollution measures according to the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) that is in effect in NCR.
Meanwhile in Delhi, the air quality deteriorated within 'very poor' category at Safdarjung, the city's base station on Tuesday. In several areas of the capital, it even turned 'severe'. The AQI was 369 compared with 333 a day earlier.
At 7pm on Tuesday, it had turned 'severe' in Anand Vihar (423), Ashok Vihar (407), Bawana (412), Dwarka (405), Jahangirpuri (426), Nehru Nagar (410), Punjabi Bagh (428), Rohini (425), Shadipur (402), Vivek Vihar (404) and Wazirpur (414) areas