Pollution reaches ‘very poor’ in Noida as heat wave continues

As the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) witnesses yet another heatwave this season, the air quality in Noida has started to deteriorate.

While the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an alert for a heatwave this week in the region on Wednesday, Noida recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 317 on the day, which increased to 322 on Thursday, both in the “very poor” category. Meanwhile, Greater Noida’s AQI improved marginally from 314 in the “very poor” category on Wednesday to 269 in the “poor” category.

An AQI reading between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.

According to the IMD, Noida recorded a maximum temperature of 44 degrees Celsius on Thursday and a minimum temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, which is about five degrees above normal. The maximum temperature is expected to increase further to around 45 degrees Celsius over the weekend.

To be sure, a heatwave is declared if the maximum temperature is at least 40 degrees Celsius or more across the plains for two consecutive days with stations recording a maximum temperature that is 4.5 degrees or more above the normal.

Officials say that similar conditions may persist for the next few days. “The high pollution levels may not be directly related to the heat, but the increase could be because of strong winds that carried dust into the area. We are holding regular checking drives and penalising those found violating pollution norms,” said Praveen Kumar, regional officer, UPPCB Noida.

The UPPCB will conduct a meeting with all stakeholders on Friday to discuss preparations ahead of the winter season, officials said. The meeting will be chaired by Ashish Tiwari, secretary, UP’s department of environment, forests and climate change (DoEF&CC).

Officials will mainly discuss steps that need to be taken in the area, especially with regard to industries that can help reduce pollution levels. “Noida and Greater Noida have their own industrial development authorities and there are several industries in the area. While we don’t have any polluting industries here, there are many other things that industries can help control. This includes management of municipal, e-waste, hazardous waste as well as construction and demolition waste. If these bulk waste generators can manage waste properly and ensure that transportation and disposal are proper, much will be resolved,” said Kumar.

He added that horticulture waste burning is also a major concern and has been discussed with the authorities. “The authority now tries to regularly collect horticulture waste in one area and transport it away at the earliest. However, if people still notice waste burning, they should immediately inform us,” said Kumar.

Discussions will also be held with the municipal authorities, administration and other governing bodies to ensure that pollution levels are kept in check throughout the year, instead of just before the winters start. The focus will be ensuring minimum dust from the transportation of waste, no waste burning and minimising dust at construction sites across the city, said officials.