Gurgaon: The city’s air quality deteriorated from the ‘moderate’ to the ‘poor’ category on Monday, with three of its four active monitoring stations recording Air Quality Index (AQI) readings above 200. NISE Gwalpahari recorded the highest AQI at 291, followed by Sector 51 at 248 and TERI Gram at 247, according to data.Vikas Sadan was the only monitoring station where air quality remained in the moderate category, recording an AQI of 197. The dashboard showed all four monitoring stations as active.The deterioration was also reflected in the dashboard’s daily pollution calendar. The PM2.5 reading for Gurgaon increased from 183 on Nov 1 to 246 on Nov 2, indicating a rise in the concentration of fine particulate matter in the city’s air.The shift to the poor category means prolonged exposure to the prevailing air quality can cause breathing discomfort to most people, according to the health advisory displayed on the monitoring dashboard.Among the four stations, Gwalpahari recorded the most polluted air, with its AQI nearing the upper end of the poor category. Sector 51 and TERI Gram also recorded poor air quality, while Vikas Sadan continued to be relatively better than the other three locations.Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) remained the dominant pollutant, signalling a persistent winter build-up driven by local emissions and unfavourable weather conditions.The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Monday invoked Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR after a sharp deterioration in air quality. The decision came as Delhi’s AQI rose from 117 (moderate) on Oct 31 to 261 (poor) on Nov 1 and further to 324 (very poor) on Nov 2. The commission attributed the deterioration to unfavourable meteorological conditions and said forecasts by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and IITM indicated that air quality was likely to remain in the very poor category over the coming days.Under Stage II measures, Gurgaon’s civic authorities and road-owning agencies have been directed to intensify mechanical and vacuum sweeping of roads, preferably at night and during early morning hours, along with daily water sprinkling and dust suppressants before peak traffic hours, particularly at busy corridors and congestion points. The order also calls for intensified inspections at construction and demolition sites, targeted pollution-control measures at identified hotspots and higher parking fees to discourage private vehicles. The state govt has also been asked to stagger office timings in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar, while RWAs have been directed to provide electric heaters to security, sanitation and horticulture staff to prevent open burning of biomass and municipal waste.
