Gurugram’s air quality stays ‘poor’; IMD predicts light rain by Wednesday

So far, November has recorded three “poor” air days and one “very poor” day on Sunday, when the AQI touched 357. Gurugram’s air quality has fluctuated between the “poor” and “very poor” categories since October 30, CPCB figures show.

The district’s air quality remained in the “poor” category for yet another day on Tuesday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 219 at 4pm, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. While this marked a marginal improvement from Monday’s 235, the city continued to battle hazy skies and lingering smog. So far, November has recorded three “poor” air days and one “very poor” day on Sunday, when the AQI touched 357. Gurugram’s air quality has fluctuated between the “poor” and “very poor” categories since October 30, CPCB figures show. 

Visibility levels in Delhi-NCR ranged between 2,100 metres at 4.30am and 4,000 metres at 3.30pm, said IMD. (PTI)

Among the worst-affected areas were Ardee City, Sector 56, Sushant Lok-III and Ulawas Village, where CPCB’s monitored station at Sector 51, operated by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), recorded PM2.5 at 306 and PM10 at 205 at 6pm. The Vikas Sadan monitoring station, also maintained by HSPCB, showed “very poor” air quality for nearly 14 hours, from 2am to 4pm, before readings disappeared from the official scale. 

All four monitoring stations contributed to the day’s composite AQI reading. The Gwal Pahari station (operated by IMD) logged a “moderate” 155, Sector 51 (HSPCB) showed a “poor” 297, TERI Gram (HSPCB) recorded a “moderate” 106, and Vikas Sadan reported a “very poor” 314. 

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), visibility levels in Delhi-NCR ranged between 2,100 metres at 4.30am and 4,000 metres at 3.30pm. “We can expect slight rainfall in the region by Wednesday. The boundary layer remains at a good depth, leading to only a slight vertical increase in temperature,” said a senior IMD official, requesting anonymity. 

Despite the marginal weather shift, north-easterly winds are expected to stay between 10 and 15 kmph, making pollutant dispersion difficult, IMD officials said. Amid rising complaints of industrial waste burning in Manesar, the Municipal Corporation of Manesar (MCM) has formed vigilance squads for night-time patrolling, officials said. 

Hitender Kumar, joint commissioner, MCM, said that three industrial waste burning hotspots were identified at Sectors 6, 81, and 92. “We have directed law enforcement and the Haryana State Pollution Control Board to take action against those indulging in illegal waste burning,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Krishan Kumar, regional officer and environment engineer, HSPCB, said that as per Graded Response Action Plan (Grap)-II norms, manual road sweepers and water sprinklers are being deployed at hotspot areas. “Our teams on the ground are carrying out surprise inspections at industrial units to ensure their compliance with clean energy standards,” another HSPCB official said. 

Dr Manoj Kumar, an analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), said that current mitigation steps such as water sprinkling have “limited effectiveness” since they address road dust rather than combustion-based particulate matter from vehicles and industries. “Effective pollution control requires addressing emission sources, particularly during late-night and early-morning hours when dispersion is weakest and enforcement is minimal,” he said. 

Gurugram recorded a maximum temperature of 30.1°C on Tuesday, down from Monday’s 28.6°C, while the minimum temperature stood at 14.9°C, a 0.5-degree rise. The IMD forecast similar temperatures for Wednesday and Thursday.