Data from the air quality dashboard showed that pollution levels in the region have remained consistently high over the past several days.

NOIDA/GHAZIABAD The air quality across Noida, Greater Noida, and Ghaziabad deteriorated sharply on Tuesday, with Noida emerging as the most polluted city in the country yet again, showed official statistics.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data recorded at 4pm, Noida’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 426, falling in the “severe” category. Greater Noida, and the neighbouring district of Ghaziabad also reported “very poor” air quality with an AQI of 388, and 392 respectively.

Data from the air quality dashboard showed that pollution levels in the region have remained consistently high over the past several days, driven largely by elevated concentrations of particulate matter – PM2.5 and PM10.

In Noida, AQI levels have largely stayed in the “severe” zone through most of December, with daily averages frequently crossing the 400-mark. Ghaziabad too has seen sustained severe pollution episodes, while Greater Noida has oscillated between “very poor” and “severe” categories.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classifies an AQI of 0-50 as “good”, 51-100 as “satisfactory”, 101-200 as “moderate”, 201-300 as “poor”, 301-400 as “very poor” and 401-500 as “severe”.

Station-wise data showed that pollution levels breached “severe” levels at multiple monitoring locations across the three cities. In Noida, the worst air quality was recorded at Sector-1, where the AQI touched 456, followed by Sector-116 at 427 and Sector-125 at 412, all falling in the severe category.

In Greater Noida, the highest AQI was reported at Knowledge Park-V, where levels rose to 418, while Knowledge Park-III recorded an AQI of 347, remaining in the very poor category. In Ghaziabad, Vasundhara emerged as the most polluted locality with an AQI of 444, followed by Sanjay Nagar at 382, Indirapuram at 357, and Loni at 343, indicating widespread and persistent pollution across residential and industrial pockets of the district.

Officials said the persistence of high pollution levels is being aggravated by unfavourable meteorological conditions that are limiting dispersion of pollutants.

According to Skymet Weather, the subtropical westerly jet stream, with core winds of around 140 knots at nearly 12.6 km above mean sea level, continues to prevail over north India. A cyclonic circulation is also present over the Comorin area (referred to Kanyakumari) at about 0.9 km above mean sea level, while a fresh western disturbance is likely to approach the western Himalayan region from December 27.

During the past 24 hours, light to moderate rain and snowfall were recorded at many places in Jammu and Kashmir, while dense to very dense fog prevailed over several parts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, and at a few places over Bihar, Punjab, west Rajasthan and east Madhya Pradesh. Moderate fog was observed over northeast India, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, and cold day conditions were reported in isolated pockets of east Madhya Pradesh and east Uttar Pradesh.

“Such synoptic conditions are not favourable for ventilation. Calm winds, high moisture and persistent fog are trapping pollutants close to the surface, leading to a sharp deterioration in air quality across the NCR,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice-president (meteorology and climate change), Skymet Weather.

IMD’s local weather data showed that Gautam Budh Nagar district (which includes Noida, and Greater Noida) recorded a maximum temperature of around 18°C and a minimum of about 12°C on Tuesday, with fog or mist observed during the early morning hours. Ghaziabad district also saw similar conditions, with a maximum of around 18°C and a minimum of nearly 11°C, accompanied by high humidity and dense fog.

Looking ahead, the weather office has forecast isolated light rain and snowfall over Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh during the next 24 hours. A gradual fall in minimum temperatures is expected over northwest India over the next two days.

Health experts have repeatedly cautioned residents to limit outdoor exposure during severe pollution episodes, especially children, the elderly and those with respiratory or cardiac conditions, and advised the use of masks and air purifiers wherever possible.