Cleanest start to Oct in six years, thank shift in wind direction for it

Gurgaon: The city's air pollution levels were among the lowest recorded in the first 15 days of Oct this year since 2018 and the second best after the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) started monitoring the city's AQI in 2016. The late change in wind direction in the region, according to experts, has contributed to better air quality in the city this year.
The average AQI for the first 15 days of Oct was 117, a significant improvement from the same period last year, which saw an average index of 175. The average Oct AQI in 2021 was 120, while the lowest recorded since 2016 was 98 in 2017. The city experienced its most polluted Oct air quality in 2018, with an average index of 208, followed by 2020 (202), 2016 (143), and 2019 (142). This Oct, the city recorded four "satisfactory" and 11 "moderate" air days, compared to four "poor", one "satisfactory", and 10 "moderate" air days in 2023.
Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said, "The numbers are not showing a monumental difference. In Gurgaon, it is just a marginal change when we see the year-on-year data. It can be because Gurgaon;s air might not be coming from the direction of an industrial belt like Delhi or areas where stubble burning is taking place this year. This time the change in wind direction happened a little late, so the city has been witnessing better air. This Oct 10 air direction was southerly, which has helped so far."
Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst at Envirocatalysts, explained that both Delhi and Gurgaon air monitors are picking up stubble burning data, but the impact has been minimal due to the low number of farm fires in the region during the first half of Oct.
"If we look at the last 15 days' data, Delhi's average PM 2.5 data was at 67 µg/m³, while Gurgaon was at 61 µg/m³. This means that stations are picking up similar kinds of emissions. Farm fire numbers had not picked up in the region in the first half of Oct. What we are noticing is local factors. Also, Delhi gets air from industrial belts. Moreover, the city has more open spaces and lower emissions compared to Delhi, which is also helping the region," Dahiya said.
State Pollution control board (HSPCB) officials highlighted that suspension of road dust due to vehicular traffic and waste burning are of particular concern in the city. HSPCB regional officer Vijay Chaudhary said, "People are aware of the problem now. Things are changing on the ground. In the next two to three years, air pollution in this region can be under control. We have been tackling the problem with a multi-pronged approach. Over the years, highly-polluting industries have moved out of NCR. We also have changed rules for the use of diesel gensets and put a ban on biomass burning. These have definitely yielded some results, but we still need to strengthen the public transportation system and control construction and demolition waste and road dust."