Poor air quality in Greater Noida, Noida, and Ghaziabad sparks concerns

New Delhi: Several cities nearby Delhi, such as Greater Noida, Noida, and Ghaziabad, have been in the grip of poor air quality. The air pollution of these cities has reached hazardous levels. As per DK Gupta, a regional officer with the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board linked the rising pollution to the stubble burning or leftover crop waste.

He further added that stubble burning in neighbouring Pakistan is a major contributor to escalating pollution in several cities of UP. Farmers of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh are not behind in stubble burning. All the three cities mentioned above experienced “very poor” air quality index (AQI) levels, with Noida reaching an AQI of 304, Ghaziabad 324, and Greater Noida 312.

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Meanwhile, Delhi faces the annual winter smog every year; the city recorded a higher average AQI of 352 on Sunday. The situation in areas like Anand Vihar is grim, where air quality touched a critical 405. The speed of wind slowed down over the weekend, so the pollution levels have gone up, causing several health issues for the Delhiites, such as respiratory illnesses, fever, vomiting, and so on.

The Supreme Court recently criticized central and state governments for their lighthearted efforts to mitigate the air pollution in Delhi, NCR. The apex court further added that stringent actions need to be taken to stop stubble burning.

Diwali is around the corner, and pollution levels will definitely surge due to fire crackers in the festival. Although the Delhi government has banned fireworks. It is expected that AQIs typically spike after the festival. However, Pakistan has been facing a similar sort of issue of pollution—Lahore is currently facing extreme air pollution with AQI levels over 700.