Why has Noida been seeing a sharper spike in pollution during evenings?
Even as Delhi’s air quality slipped into the ‘poor’ category on Thursday, Noida has been recording sharper, late-evening surges in PM2.5 levels, pointing to a possible rise in local emissions from traffic and early use of firecrackers, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and air-quality analysts.
Delhi’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 245 (‘poor’) on Thursday, up from 233 a day earlier.
In comparison, Noida recorded 288 (‘very poor’) and Greater Noida 272, while Ghaziabad remained in the ‘very poor’ category at 307. A day earlier, Noida had recorded the highest pollution levels in the country at 318 (‘very poor’).
The pollution build-up in Noida has been peaking between 7 pm and midnight — a pattern distinct from Delhi where spikes tend to occur later at night.
“If this was due to stubble burning, Delhi would have seen similar spikes, which it hasn’t,” said Sunil Dahiya, lead analyst and founder of Envirocatalysts. “The timings of these peaks overlap with traffic congestion and bursting of firecrackers, suggesting strong local contributions.”
Calm winds and rising humidity have further trapped pollutants near the surface.
Within Noida, Sector 125 and Sector 116 witnesed the highest spikes. The pattern has been evident at least for four days now. On October 13, PM2.5 in Sector 125 rose from 68 µg/m³ at 5 pm to 247 µg/m³ by 8 pm — a spike, Dahiya said, cannot be explained by meteorological conditions alone.
Dahiya added that the intensity and timing of the peaks indicate a mix of vehicular emissions and local celebratory activity, with morning spikes between 7 and 9 am likely linked to commuter traffic.
Stubble burning woes
Meanwhile, even as local emissions remain a dominant factor, stubble burning has also begun to rise across neighbouring states. A total of 889 burning events were detected in six states between September 15 and October 16, according to data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). Of these, Uttar Pradesh accounted for the highest share, with 403 fires, followed by Punjab (188), Madhya Pradesh (171), Rajasthan (96), Haryana (28), and Delhi (3).
Govt launches winter action plan
Six new Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) will be operational in Delhi by March 2026 as part of the Delhi government’s Winter Action Plan 2025-26, launched Wednesday that comprises 25 targeted measures under seven themes, including road dust, vehicular emissions, industry and power, waste and open burning, agricultural residue, citizen engagement, and innovation. Steps include use of Green Delhi App, real-time monitoring in green war room, use of mechanical road sweepers, water sprinklers and anti-smog guns, 578 enforcement teams from Transport department checking PUC norms for vehicular emissions control.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast mist and haze in the mornings for the next two days, with the overall AQI expected to stay in the ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ range across Delhi-NCR over the weekend.
