Noida, February 12: The National Capital Region (NCR) is finally catching a break from its notorious winter smog, thanks to a spell of brisk winds over the past few days. Air quality across Delhi and surrounding areas has shown partial improvement, with several monitoring stations reporting Air Quality Index (AQI) levels transitioning from the hazardous red zone to the more manageable yellow and orange categories.
While pollution remains a concern and far from resolved, the situation marks a welcome change from the choking haze that blanketed the region recently. Data from various stations in Delhi paints an encouraging picture: Bawana clocked an AQI of 259 (orange zone), Ashok Vihar at 220, Anand Vihar at 218, and Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range at 202. Other areas like Alipur (181), Burari Crossing (169), Chandni Chowk (162), CRRI Mathura Road (171), DTU (169), and Aya Nagar (160) all fall within yellow to orange ranges, indicating moderate pollution levels.
Noida mirrors this trend with Sector-125 at 190, Sector-62 at 170, Sector-1 at 190, and Sector-116 at 175—all hovering around the yellow zone threshold. In Ghaziabad, Indirapuram reported 225 and Vasundhara 230 (orange), while Sanjay Nagar’s 139 signals relatively cleaner air in the yellow category.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts a gradual rise in minimum temperatures ahead. Expect highs of 26°C and lows of 12°C on February 12, climbing to 27/12 on the 13th and 28/13 on the 14th. Light morning fog may linger in the coming days, but no weather alerts are in place.
Experts attribute the AQI dip to wind dispersal of pollutants. However, they caution that any slowdown in wind speeds could reverse these gains, urging sustained vigilance on emission controls and urban green initiatives to prevent a relapse into severe pollution episodes.