Home / Environment / Wettest October Fuels Gurgaon's Clean Air Streak
Wettest October Fuels Gurgaon's Clean Air Streak
1 Nov
Summary
- Gurgaon's AQI remained satisfactory for the second day due to unusually wet October.
- Particulate matter levels at monitoring stations significantly exceeded WHO safe limits.
- October rainfall in Gurgaon was 680% above normal, the second highest in a decade.
Gurgaon's air quality registered in the "satisfactory" category for a second consecutive day on Saturday, benefiting from an unusually wet October. This period of relief, however, is anticipated to be short-lived, with forecasts predicting a shift to moderate and then poor air quality from Sunday. The city's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 88 on Saturday, an increase from 69 the previous day, with all monitoring stations reporting satisfactory levels.
Despite the favorable overall AQI, concentrations of particulate matter, including PM2.5 and PM10, remained significantly elevated at individual monitoring sites. For instance, Gwal Pahari recorded PM2.5 levels nearly eight times the World Health Organization's recommended safe limit of 15 µg/m³. Similarly, PM10 levels across stations also exceeded the WHO's threshold of 45 µg/m³.
This year's October has been marked by exceptional rainfall, with Gurgaon receiving 67.9 mm, a staggering 680% above its normal precipitation. This makes it the second wettest October in a decade, surpassing figures from previous years significantly. This increased rainfall has temporarily aided in dispersing pollutants.
Looking ahead, SAFAR forecasts suggest that surface winds will predominantly blow from the northwest on Sunday, with a ventilation index considered favorable for pollutant dispersion. However, drier weather and falling temperatures are expected to cause the AQI to deteriorate into the moderate category by Sunday and the poor category from Monday onwards.
