Noida Air Quality Update: Pollution Rises Slightly Despite Clearer Skies

Noida, November 7: Even though strong winds helped clear the haze on Thursday, the air quality slightly worsened in Noida, Greater Noida, and Ghaziabad, remaining in the ‘poor’ category, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data from it.

In Noida, the Air Quality Index (AQI) increased to 257, compared to 215 the day before. Ghaziabad also saw a similar rise, from 207 to 228. Greater Noida experienced a bigger dip in air quality, with AQI slipping from 187 (moderate) to 228 (poor).

The rise in wind speed since Wednesday had cleared much of the haze that had covered the region for days. The sky looked clearer, and bright sunlight returned, offering residents some relief from the prolonged smoggy conditions.

Noida’s Most Polluted Areas

All four monitoring stations in Noida recorded ‘poor’ air quality on Thursday:

• Sector 125: AQI 272 (worst)
• Sector 1: AQI 266
• Sector 62: AQI 248
• Sector 116: AQI 245

In Greater Noida, Knowledge Park V (AQI 217) and Knowledge Park III (AQI 242) also reported ‘poor’ air.

In Ghaziabad, Vasundhara was the only station to record ‘very poor’ air at 313, while Loni (AQI 294), Indirapuram (AQI 247), and Sanjay Nagar (AQI 217) remained ‘poor’.

Wind and Weather Forecast

The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) said that on Thursday, winds mainly blew from the northwest direction at speeds up to 15 kmph in the afternoon and slowed to below 12 kmph in the evening.

On Friday, the wind will again come from the northwest, starting below 15 kmph in the morning, increasing to 20 kmph by afternoon, and dropping to under 10 kmph in the evening.

Delhi’s Air Turns ‘Very Poor’

Meanwhile, the national capital Delhi continued to struggle with pollution. The city’s AQI climbed to 311 (‘very poor’) at 4 pm on Thursday, compared to 202 (‘poor’) on Wednesday.

Experts said the worsening air quality was due to stubble burning in nearby states, vehicle emissions, and local pollution sources.

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Surprisingly, Anand Vihar, usually among the first to record severe pollution, stayed at 285 (‘poor’) till 5 pm.

Stubble Burning Share Rising Rapidly

According to IITM’s Decision Support System (DSS), stubble burning contributed 9.48% to Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution on Thursday — the highest this season.

This share is expected to increase to 38% on Friday, 25.3% on Saturday, and 31.7% on Sunday.

The Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) predicts that Delhi may witness smog or shallow fog during the mornings till November 9, and the air quality is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category.

Experts said the farm fire impact on Delhi’s air depends on the number of fires, wind direction, and speed. In 2019, despite over 5,000 farm fires in a single day, the smoke did not heavily affect Delhi’s air due to unfavorable wind direction.