Greater Noida’s air improves to ‘moderate’ after 4 days; Noida, Gzb still ‘poor’
The improvement marked a significant drop from Tuesday’s 262 and Monday’s 300, while nearby Noida and Ghaziabad continued to remain in the ‘poor’ zone with AQIs of 215 and 207, respectively
After four days of deteriorating air quality, Greater Noida on Wednesday recorded a visible improvement, moving into the ‘moderate’ category with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 187, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) national bulletin released at 4pm daily.
The improvement marked a significant drop from Tuesday’s 262 and Monday’s 300, while nearby Noida and Ghaziabad continued to remain in the ‘poor’ zone with AQIs of 215 and 207, respectively. Both cities, however, also showed improvement from the ‘very poor’ levels seen earlier this week.
On Tuesday, Noida recorded a ‘very poor’ AQI of 304 and Ghaziabad 325, before both dipped on Wednesday. The two cities, which typically follow similar pollution trends, showed a marked divergence this week, with Greater Noida recovering faster.
Over the past four days, Greater Noida’s AQI fluctuated from ‘very poor’ to ‘moderate’—340 on Sunday, 300 on Monday, 262 on Tuesday, and 187 on Wednesday. In contrast, Noida’s readings remained higher through the week—348 on Sunday, 312 on Monday, 305 on Tuesday, and 215 on Wednesday.
The last time Greater Noida recorded ‘moderate’ air was on October 31, when its AQI stood at 116. Noida too was in the ‘moderate’ range that day with an AQI of 163, before rising sharply to 292 on November 1 and peaking at 348 on November 2.
The CPCB classifies air as ‘good’ when the AQI is 50 or lower, ‘satisfactory’ when it is between 51 and 100, ‘moderate’ when it is between 101 and 200, ‘poor’ when it is between 201 and 300, ‘very poor’ when it is between 301 and 400, and ‘severe’ when it is over 400.
According to experts, the sharper improvement in Greater Noida’s air quality could be due to better wind dispersion or lower local emissions in peripheral areas. “A western disturbance that was influencing the northern plains has now moved eastwards. As a result, cold winds from the western Himalayas have started blowing across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and parts of Maharashtra, leading to a drop in temperature and a slight nip in the air,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president (Meteorology and Climate Change), Skymet Weather.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Gautam Budh Nagar recorded a maximum temperature of 29.9°C and a minimum of around 17°C (as per forecast) on Wednesday. Ghaziabad recorded 27.9°C and 18.7°C, respectively. The IMD forecast indicates fog or mist during early mornings for the next week, with minimum temperatures expected to gradually decline.
Experts said the incoming cooler winds may help disperse pollutants temporarily, but air quality could fluctuate depending on local emissions and wind speed in the coming days.“Cold winds from the north are likely to start blowing over northwest India, including Delhi-NCR, leading to a drop of around 2 to 3 degrees in temperatures over the next two days. However, no significant change in the overall weather pattern is expected - the sky will remain mostly clear, and wind speed may range between 8 and 12 kmph,” said Palwat added.
