In a first, Noida records better AQI this winter than during COVID-19 lockdown 4 years ago, reason is...

In a surprising milestone, Noida reported only one day of ‘severe’ air quality between October and December this year, marking the first such improvement in four years. Neighboring Ghaziabad also showed progress, with only two ‘severe’ days, a first in three years. Greater Noida reported no days in the ‘severe’ category, a remarkable achievement in four years, according to a Times of India report.

Despite Delhi-NCR’s air quality briefly dipping to an AQI of 450, triggering GRAP-4 restrictions, Noida’s air quality showed notable improvement compared to previous years.

Experts highlighted that this year’s AQI has been better than the levels seen during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown.

In the same three-month period in 2020, Noida experienced 14 ‘severe,’ 26 ‘very poor,’ and 21 ‘poor’ air quality days. This year, the figures improved significantly to just one ‘severe,’ 12 ‘very poor,’ and 35 ‘poor’ days. Greater Noida, which logged 13 ‘severe’ days in 2020, saw none this year, with 39 ‘poor’ days and eight ‘very poor’ days. Ghaziabad also improved from 17 ‘severe’ days in 2020 to just two this year.

However, the air quality dipped again on Sunday, falling to the ‘poor’ category after six consecutive days of ‘moderate’ levels. Reduced winds and falling temperatures contributed to this decline, raising concerns about pollution levels during the winter months.