1 week Ago By Ipsita Pati
Gurgaon: Air quality in Gurgaon was the worst, and the only one to exceed the 300-mark, among all 211 cities for which data was available from across India on Sunday. According to the Central Pollution Control Board 's bulletin on Sunday, Gurgaon's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) scaled to 317, in the ‘very poor' category. Siwan, in Bihar, ranked second, at 281 (poor).
The city outdid all its NCR neighbours in air pollution. Delhi's AQI was 178, Greater Noida's 132, Noida's 158 and Ghaziabad's 128 – all of them in the ‘moderate' category on Sunday. Experts pointed out that the key pollutant was ozone, overtaking the usual culprits – particulate matter (PM2.
5 and PM10) and carbon monoxide (CO). Data from the Gwalpahari air quality monitoring station showed that 8-hour average of ozone concentration touched 318ug/m3 on April 11 and 313ug/m3 on Sunday — more than triple of India's safety limit, 100 micrograms per cubic metres, and the worst among three stations in the city. O3 concentration was also double that of the safety limit at Sector 51 station (201ug/m3 on April 11, and 196 ug/m3 on Sunday), and the lowest, though still above the maximum safe standard at Teri Gram station (120ug/m3 and 111ug/m3).
Data was not available for April 12, and from the Vikas Sadan station. Ozone (O3) is generated closer to land when sunlight reacts with nitrogen oxides, released from diesel and CNG vehicles, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as gasoline used in industries. Experts said the increase in temperature and sunny days was the major reason for ozone formation over PM2.
5 and PM10 during the summer months . High ozone concentration in Gwal Pahari could be a result of its proximity to the Aravali hills, which trap pollutants and prevent dispersion. The area is also close to industrial zones and highways, where emission of gases that react to form ozone can be higher, they said.
"Ozone inflames and damages the lining of the respiratory tract, causing symptoms such as coughing, throat irritation, shortness of breath and chest pain. For individuals with asthma, bronchitis or other respiratory diseases, exposure can trigger severe attacks. Even in healthy individuals, long-term exposure can lead to reduced lung function and increased susceptibility to respiratory infections.
It can also potentially worsen cardiovascular conditions," said Dr Arunesh Kumar, senior consultant for respiratory medicine at Paras Health in Gurgaon. "We expect cleaner air in April, but it's hard to breathe even now. Govt needs to act—traffic management, industrial emissions.
.. something must change," said Piyush Verma, a resident of Sector 56.
Experts, too, said the region's air quality crisis wasn't just a winter problem anymore. "Ozone is a warning sign of unchecked emissions from vehicles and industries. We need year-round pollution control measures, not just seasonal fixes," said Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at the Centre for Science and Environment.
"Reducing precursors is critical to addressing the most prominent summertime pollutant—ground-level ozone. This makes it imperative to target major precursor sources such as power plants, vehicles, industrial emissions and waste," said Manoj Kumar, an analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA)..
