NOIDA: Air quality across the region deteriorated further on Sunday, slipping into the ‘severe-plus’ category and leaving residents grappling with hazardous conditions that sharply reduced morning visibility and raised serious health concerns.
In Noida, the Air Quality Index (AQI) climbed to 466, up from 455 on Saturday. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed that Noida recorded the worst air quality in the country on Sunday. Ghaziabad followed close behind, with its AQI surging to 459 from 430 a day earlier, also placing it in the ‘severe-plus’ category. Greater Noida saw a marginal improvement, with AQI dipping to 435 from 442, but conditions remained firmly ‘severe’.
Residents across the three cities said the rapid deterioration over the past two days forced them to limit outdoor activity and depend on masks and air purifiers.
All four air monitoring stations in Noida reported ‘severe’ air quality on Sunday. Sector 116 recorded the highest AQI at 493, followed by Sector 1 at 489, Sector 125 at 453 and Sector 62 at 427. In Greater Noida, Knowledge Park V posted an AQI of 460 and Knowledge Park III recorded 410, both in the ‘severe’ range. Ghaziabad stations also fared poorly, with Vasundhara at 492, Indirapuram at 477 and Sanjay Nagar at 408. Data from the Loni station was unavailable.
The situation marks a dramatic reversal from the same period last year, when air quality across Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad was largely ‘moderate’, rarely worsening beyond the ‘poor’ category. On this day last year, AQI levels stood at 112 in Noida, 134 in Greater Noida and 103 in Ghaziabad.
Delhi, too, witnessed alarmingly poor air quality on Sunday, with AQI readings touching the maximum of 500 at several locations. Wazirpur, Rohini and Ashok Vihar all hit the upper limit of the scale. In Rohini, AQI hovered at 499 for over 20 hours before touching 500 at 6 pm. Ashok Vihar recorded AQI levels above 490 from Saturday night through Sunday, eventually reaching 500. CPCB data showed several locations across the capital remaining above 490 for prolonged periods.
By Saturday evening, hazardous air quality had spread across much of Delhi. Of the 39 active monitoring stations in the city, 38 recorded air in the ‘severe’ category.
According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, calm northerly winds dominated on Sunday, with surface wind speeds remaining around 5 kmph in the afternoon and dropping further during the evening and night, hampering pollutant dispersion.
Forecasts for Monday indicate shallow fog at most places and moderate fog at isolated locations in the morning. Surface winds are expected to shift to the northwest, with speeds reaching up to 10 kmph in the morning, increasing to around 15 kmph in the afternoon before easing again by night.
In response to the worsening conditions, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) enforced GRAP III and GRAP IV measures across Delhi-NCR on Saturday. On Sunday, CAQM directed NCR state governments to suspend physical outdoor activities in schools.
Despite the restrictions, residents reported violations. Manish Kumar, a resident of Supertech Eco Village 1, said construction activity continued in his neighbourhood. “Workers are still seen engaged in construction at night. There is no enforcement in the area,” he said.
Addressing the issue, a Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) official said enforcement teams had been deployed. “On Sunday, inspections were carried out at multiple locations and four developers — Vaishali Financial Services Pvt Ltd in Sector 127, and Orion One, Triune Lumina and Noida Info Services in Sector 132 — were fined a little over Rs 2 crore for violating GRAP norms, as construction activity was found to be ongoing,” the official said.
