Noida Air Quality Slips to Poor with AQI at 281 as Region Faces Seasonal Spike

Noida registered an Air Quality Index reading of 281 on Sunday, significantly worse than the capital as pollution levels spiked across the National Capital Region. The worsening air quality comes as incoming winter conditions begin to trap pollutants over the region.

According to Central Pollution Control Board data, neighbouring Ghaziabad recorded an AQI of 248, placing both cities in the poor category. Elsewhere in the immediate region, Greater Noida recorded an AQI of 171, while Gurgaon stood at 166.

In Delhi, the 24-hour average AQI stood at 187 at 4:00 PM, marking the capital's worst air quality reading of the season so far. The figure slipped into the higher end of the moderate category, after reaching a peak of 196 earlier in the day at 10:00 AM.

Despite the overall moderate average for Delhi, at least 19 monitoring stations across the city registered poor air quality during the day. Mundka emerged as the city's most polluted monitoring station with an AQI of 273, followed by CRRI Mathura Road and Narela, which both recorded readings of 258.

A higher AQI of 246 in the poor category was last recorded on July 24, when transboundary dust from Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan moved toward northwest India.

Environmental experts have warned that incoming winter conditions, particularly slower wind speeds, will cause increasingly polluted days across the region in the coming period.

Dipankar Saha, former head of the Central Pollution Control Board's air laboratory, noted that the baseline volume of emissions remains relatively consistent. "The total emission load of any defined area remains almost the same through the year, barring exceptions such as massive fire incidents, crop-residue burning, large-scale construction, dust storms and other such events," Saha said.