Gurgaon: For the sixth consecutive day, the city’s air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category, with Tuesday’s AQI at 394. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) revoked GRAP Stage-IV measures across Delhi and NCR. Among the three active monitoring stations, Vikas Sadan recorded the worst air quality with an AQI of 420 (severe). It was followed by Sector 51 at 407 and Gwalpahari at 351.The AQI calendar for Jan indicated sustained high PM2.5 levels through the month, with multiple days in the very poor and severe range. PM2.5 readings stayed above 300 on several days and breached 370 on Jan 9, 13, 18 and 19, suggesting prolonged exposure risk for residents.Mohammad Rafiuddin, programme lead, Council on Energy, Environment and Water, said, “Delhi’s AQI was in the ‘severe’ category for the last 2 days. It is expected to be ‘very poor’ or worse for the next 2 to 3 days due to unfavourable meteorological conditions. The average wind speed is expected to be below 10 kmph, and the minimum temperature is between 6 and 8 degrees Celsius. While emergency response measures like GRAP are necessary, the real solution lies in curbing emissions at source across sectors like construction, industries and transport throughout the year. Moreover, citizens must be encouraged to protect themselves by wearing masks, as exposure to ‘severe’ air quality even for a short while can trigger health complications in sensitive individuals.”Doctors and air quality experts repeatedly warned that prolonged exposure to such pollution levels can aggravate respiratory illness, trigger asthma attacks and cause breathing discomfort, particularly among children, the elderly and those with existing lung and heart conditions. Authorities attributed Gurgaon’s winter pollution to a mix of vehicular emissions, road dust and construction activity, compounded by unfavourable weather conditions such as low wind speed and temperature inversion.With air quality continuing in the red zone, residents were advised to limit outdoor activity, avoid morning walks in high-traffic zones and use masks where exposure was unavoidable.The CPCB categorises AQI levels between 0 and 50 as ‘good’, 51 to 100 as ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 as ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 as ‘poor’, 301 to 400 as ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 as ‘severe’.
