Gurgaon: The city recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 198 on Sunday. It was the first time in 22 days, since Jan 2, that air quality was recorded in the ‘moderate’ category.Central Pollution Control Board data showed that three of the city’s four monitoring stations were active on Sunday. Gwal Pahari recorded an AQI of 151, Sector 51 stood at 207, while Vikas Sadan reported 227.The improvement came after weeks of high pollution through Jan, when the city frequently fell into the ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ categories. Monthly pollution charts showed daily PM2.5 levels remained above 300 for much of the month, crossed 350 on several days, and peaked close to 400 between Jan 18 and Jan 22.Officials attributed the temporary relief to improved dispersion conditions over the weekend, aided by clearer skies and stronger northerly winds. The Delhi forecasting system noted partly cloudy conditions with north-west winds reaching up to 20kmph over the past 24 hours, along with a slight dip in minimum temperatures and a marginal rise in daytime temperatures, helping pollutants disperse.However, meteorological agencies cautioned that the improvement may be short-lived. Wind speeds are expected to weaken over the next two days, with shallow morning fog and ventilation index values remaining below the favourable threshold of 6,000 m²/s. Projections suggest air quality may slip back into the ‘poor’ category on Jan 26 and Jan 27, before returning to ‘moderate’ on Jan 28. The broader outlook points to ‘moderate to poor’ levels over the coming week.Light rain with thunderstorms and gusty winds of 30 to 40kmph is forecast around Jan 27, which may bring brief relief. Experts noted that such weather-related improvements are usually short.
