Gurugram’s air quality stayed near the poor category as garbage burning continued across the city, pushing AQI to 286, CPCB data shows.

Even as air quality in Gurugram persisted in deteriorating, remaining near the upper threshold of the “poor” category on Friday, refuse burning continued unabated across various neighborhoods throughout the city.

PM2.5 became the primary pollutant on Friday, resulting from refuse fires ignited at various locations along the Gurugram-Sohna road. At least eight minor and major refuse fires were observed at various locations, including vacant plots adjacent to the elevated carriageway and one behind a fuel station—raising safety concerns—approximately 17 kilometers from the city center. The incineration of refuse continued for nearly an additional kilometre beyond the fuel station, traversing the toll plaza en route to Sohna.

Gurugram registered an air quality index (AQI) of 286 on Friday, according to the daily bulletin issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). It has been consistently increasing throughout the week, with respective readings of 268 and 276 recorded over the past two days.

Among the most severely affected stations on Friday was the Sector 51 station, where an AQI of 292 was recorded at 8 p.m. The stations at Vikas Sadan, with an AQI of 293, and Teri Gram, with an AQI of 285, also remained near the thresholds of “poor” and “very poor.”

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The CPCB categorizes air quality as “moderate” when the AQI ranges from 101 to 200, “poor” from 201 to 300, and “very poor” from 301 to 400. Beyond 400, the air quality is classified as “severe.”

Residents reported that, in addition to Friday, several instances of refuse burning were observed throughout this week along Chauma Road near Sarai Alaward and on Bhagwan Mahaveer Marg in Sector 44.

A resident residing near one such hot spot, who wished to remain anonymous, stated, “Rather than disposing of their waste appropriately, some residents opt to burn it despite being aware that this could further impair the ambient air quality of the neighborhood.”

Ravinder Yadav, Additional Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), stated, “We have identified several hotspots within the city, and our vigilance teams are conducting routine inspections, including issuing fines to individuals found openly burning waste.”

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Meanwhile, Gurugram experienced a minimum temperature of 9.5°C and a maximum of 25.2°C on Friday.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the westerly winds, which were recorded at a speed of 5.5 kilometres per hour at 8:30 a.m., diminished to virtually zero by the evening. Forecasts for Saturday and Sunday indicate shallow to moderate fog in the National Capital Region (NCR), with visibility anticipated to fall below 1,000 metres during the early morning and late night hours, a senior IMD official stated.