Ghaziabad sees slight AQI improvement in first 8 months of 2024

Ghaziabad: A sigh of relief for those residing in Ghaziabad. The city witnessed a slight improvement in its air quality index (AQI) in the first eight months of this year. The pollution levels have remained the same as recorded in 2023, as per the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB).

The data makes it clear that between January and August the city saw 129 days with “moderate” AQI, in comparison to 124 “moderate” days during the same period in 2023. The number of “good” AQI days was 12, the same was in 2023, while the “satisfactory” AQI days have reached 43 this year; it was 54 in 2023.

As per the AQI scale, 0-50 is considered “good,” 51-100 is “satisfactory,” 101-200 is “moderate,” 201-300 is “poor,” 301-400 is “very poor,” and 401-500 is “severe.”

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UPPCB regional officer Vikas Mishra said, “Pollution levels improved due to the implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) this year. Besides this, regular efforts like water sprinkling, road sweeping, and controlling garbage burning are being done on war footing to combat air pollution. With the operation of Grap, air quality is likely to improve further.

In 2023, there were 183 days with “good,” “satisfactory,” or “moderate” AQI, compared to 184 days this year. Meanwhile, there were 59 “poor,” “very poor,” or “severe” days in 2023, and 60 such days this year.

Ghaziabad has been occupying 22nd place out of 47 cities in the 2024 “Swachh Vayu Survekshan (Clean Air Survey)” by the Union Environment Ministry, after ranking 12th in 2023. The report of the survey is based on air quality and actions taken as per the city’s air quality plan.