Gurgaon:The city’s air quality settled at 289 (poor) on Wednesday, 18 notches down from Tuesday’ s 307 (very poor) after staying in the poor category for over two weeks. The surge was largely driven by local emission sources, including road dust and rampant waste burning. CPCB data shows Gurgaon spent most of Feb breathing poor air. Meanwhile, the maximum temperature on Wednesday was 30.2 degree Celcius, while it was 28.8 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. The minimum temperature was 12.2 degrees Celsius, around 1 degree drop from Tuesday’s 13.4 degrees Celsius.PM2.5 levels breached the 300 mark twice during the month, on Feb 4 and again on Feb 24.Station-wise readings highlighted a sharp variation. While IMD’s Gwalpahari station recorded an AQI of 208 (poor), Haryana State Pollution Control Board monitors showed far worse conditions, with Sector 51 logging 329 and Vikas Sadan recording 361, both firmly in the very poor category. Officials said the deterioration was linked to local factors rather than long-range transport of pollutants. Locals alleged shopkeepers, garbage collectors, sanitation workers, security guards and slum dwellers burn trash in the open. Waste burning hotspots include Kherki Daula toll plaza, areas along Dwarka Expressway, Ghata, and sectors 48, 55, 56 and 65, among others. Along with repeated instances of garbage burning reported from several pockets, including along the Dwarka Expressway near Elan Mall, road dust from damaged surfaces, exposed soil and ongoing construction activity added significantly to particulate levels, especially during peak traffic hours.Feb’s trend underlines how quickly the city’s air quality can deteriorate outside the winter pollution season when waste burning and dust control norms are not strictly enforced. Smoke from burningleaves and trash releases PM10, a coarse particle that can embed itself deep in the lungs. HSPCB said that they are taking action to curb waste burning.
