Air quality in Noida

How bad is the air quality in Noida?

Noida is located in the Uttar Pradesh region, in India and is actually the short name established for New Okhla Industrial Development Area. Noida is a satellite city of Delhi and is also part of the national capital region of the country, a place known for having one of the world’s worst air quality. In 2018, the region ranked 11 on IQAirVisual’s World Air Quality Report and the last longest period of hazardous air pollution was from late October to early November 2019, establishing a new record of nine consecutive days. The most polluted day was in 2016, on November 6 with a PM2 concentration level of 933 µg/m3 recorded by the U.S. Embassy.

How is Noida air quality compare to Bejing?

Air quality in Noida is worse than Beijing’s. Indeed, if Noida ranked 11 on the IQAirVisual World City Pollution Ranking, the Chinese city was at the 122nd position with a 2018 annual average PM2.5 concentrations of 50.9 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³). For information, Bangkok ranked no. 498 in the same report in 2018.

Where does Noida’s air pollution come from?

The pollution in the Indian capital city and in Noida especially comes from industrial and vehicular emissions, waste burning and the dust. The worst period for the air quality takes place in October and November usually for different reasons. First, because after September harvest, the farmers living in surrounding areas burn stubble to clean the lands. Also during this month, there is less wind and less rain that usually help cleaning the pollution. These weather changes happen unfortunately at the same time as the end of the harvest causing severe air pollution. Secondly, the pollution at this period comes from the Diwali celebrations: it is caused by the popular practice of setting off firecrackers. These national celebrations take place between October and November and contribute to the development of a bad air quality. In 2019 the PM2.5 (levels of fine particulate) concentration was around 829.2 micrograms per cubic meter, which is more than 80 times the World Health Organization recommended level.

What are the effects of air pollution in Noida?

Unfortunately, Noida’s polluted air has different bad effects. The first one concerns health issues. Children and elderly are most of the time the most affected, especially during elevated pollution levels, when hospitals also use to report higher numbers of patients having respiratory problems due to the bad air quality. Noida pollution influences many residents’ lives, for example in 2019, The government in India declared a public health emergency in the city of Delhi, located forty minutes away from Noida. It ordered schools to close and also the construction activities during the night to stop temporarily. The second one is related to transportation and logistics. Because of the air pollution and a lack of visibility outside, air and road transports are often affected and it happens sometimes that flights have to be canceled. This event happened on November 3, 2019 in Delhi, where dozens flights were canceled because of the smog. In 2017, air pollution in India had a direct link with the deaths of 1.24 million people with 54 percent caused by ambient air pollution. According to the study, air pollution deaths accounted for 12,5 percent of total deaths recorded during the year 2019.

How can Noida’s air pollution be reduced?

Now, during Diwali celebrations, people have the possibility to buy green firecrackers or they can also watch laser shows. People are also aware that to reduce air pollution in Noida, they have to reduce first their personal emissions. They can do that by carpooling or taking public transport for example. Others also try to switch to greener fuel alternatives even if it is still complicated in India today. Also, the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) has been launched in 2019 by the Indian authorities. The goal is to cut pollution in 102 of the most polluted cities by 20-30% by 2024. This program group different plans such as reducing dust pollution, cut industrial and transport emissions and impose stricter rules concerning the biomass burning. After all, the Indian government try to upgrade the air monitoring systems and to create a real-time air quality data available for the residents. This way, people could know exactly the level of pollution in real time and take better measures to protect themselves.

What measures can people take to protect themselves?

To protect themselves, people can take measures such as wearing an anti-pollution mask when they go outside, in the transports and in the public places. The government also advice to reduce outdoor exercise to favor inside activities instead. If it is possible, people are also simply invited to stay at home.

Is Noida polluted?

In November 2019, Noida became the most polluted city in India, overtaking Ghaziabad. The main reasons for the increased air pollution in Noida are increased vehicle traffic, major construction, stubble burning, and diesel generators. The recent change in wind direction made the air pollution of New Delhi cross over to Noida, making it the city with the worst air pollution in India.

What city has the worst air quality in India?

The five most polluted cities in India are :

• Gurugram
• Ghaziabad
• Faridabad
• Bhiwadi
• Noida

The air quality in India varies with the seasons. The main reason for this is the stubble burning from farmers in the region.