The district woke up to dense smog on Tuesday morning, with visibility dropping to below 50 metres at around 7.30am across several major stretches, including Golf Course Road, Sohna Elevated Road, Delhi-Jaipur-Gurugram (NH 48) and the Dwarka Expressway, India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) air quality bulletin issued at 4.00pm, the air quality index (AQI) remained in the ‘very poor’ category for the fifth consecutive day since Friday last week.
CPCB data showed that the AQI, which stood at 331 at 4pm on Monday, further deteriorated to 364 on Tuesday, continuing in the “very poor” range. Among the worst-hit monitoring stations was Sector 51, where particulate matter levels peaked at 414 in the ‘severe’ category at 7pm, as recorded on CPCB’s Sameer App. Other stations also reported very poor air quality, with AQI levels recorded at 359 in Teri Gram, 350 in NISE Gwal Pahari and 322 in Vikas Sadan, all hovering in the ‘very poor’ category at 7pm on Tuesday. So far, Gurugram has logged nine “very poor” days and fourteen “poor” AQI days this month.
The IMD said weather conditions were unlikely to provide immediate relief. According to the department, the dry weather spell in Southern Haryana is expected to continue over the next few days, with moderate to dense fog at isolated places in the National Capital Region (NCR). “Similar wind trends, from calm in the morning up to 15 kilometres per hour during the afternoon, are forecasted during the time period, further reducing the fog and improving the visibility,” a senior IMD official said, requesting anonymity.
Meanwhile, residents flagged local pollution sources contributing to the deteriorating air quality. Rajnish Sachdeva, a resident of Sector 77, reported a waste fire at an open garbage dumping site. “This is everyday practice. Some tractor trolleys dump garbage and waste in Shikohpur and set it on fire. This is hazardous and polluting the air,” Sachdeva said. He added that despite repeated complaints, no action was taken by the Municipal Corporation of Manesar (MCM), under whose jurisdiction the area falls.
Residents of Nawada had earlier raised similar concerns, reporting e-waste being set on fire along Sector 86 road on Monday. Taking cognisance of these complaints, the MCM said that its vigilance teams, along with fire tenders, visited the notified sites to douse the waste fires. The civic body added through its X handle that necessary curbs were imposed on violators of pollution-control norms.
Weather conditions showed marginal improvement on the temperature front. Chilly weather is expected to ease slightly on Wednesday, though thick smog is likely to persist, according to forecasts. Gurugram recorded a minimum temperature of 9.8 degrees Celsius (°C) and a maximum of 22.6°C on Tuesday.