GURGAON: Rain and wind speed helped improve the citys air quality from severe to poor on Friday, bringing some much-needed respite from the hazardous pollution levels. The AQI was 240 (poor) on Friday, down from 404 the day before. The wind speed was 8kmph on Friday, up from 4kmph the day before. The city received 2.5mm rain till 5.30pm on Friday.According to the India Meteorological Department, (IMD), a western disturbance is affecting north India at present, which is likely to bring more rain to Punjab, Haryana and Delhi and to some parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan by November 11-12.Track the pollution level in your cityOut of the citys four air monitoring stations, Gwalpahari recorded the cleanest air on Friday at 199 (moderate), while the other three - Vikas Sadan (210), Teri Gram (244) and Sector 51 (270) - recorded poor AQI."The air quality will stay poor this Diwali. Local factors will still contribute to pollution. The region may witness a slight relief as a western disturbance is approaching. This has brought some changes in the air quality, but it is just temporary. It will again turn worse in some days because of local factors," said Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at the Centre for Science and Environment.The PM2.5 level was highest in Sector 51 (203 g/m³) on Friday, followed by 201 g/m³ in Gwalpahari, 189 g/m³ in Teri Gram, and 181 g/m³ in Vikas Sadan. The level of PM10 was the highest at Sector 51 (221 g/m³), followed by Teri Gram (211g/m³) and Gwalpahari (121g/m³). Vikas Sadan doesnt record PM10 data. According to the CPCB, the annual average permissible limits for PM2.5 and PM10 are 40g/m³ and 60g/m³, respectively.Meanwhile, neighbouring Delhi recorded poor AQI at 279 on Friday, while Faridabads air was very poor with an AQI of 308. The AQI of Noida was 247, while that of Ghaziabad was 267, both poor.According to satellite data from Nasa, collated by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, no farm fires were detected in Haryana on Friday and six in Punjab.The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) said surface winds with speeds ranging from 4kmph to 12kmph are expected in the region for the next six days, and the AQI is likely to stay very poor or severe.According to guidelines issued by the Central Pollution Control Board, when AQI is in the moderate category, there can be breathing discomfort to the people with asthma and lung or heart disease. In poor AQI, breathing discomfort can be felt by most people on prolonged exposure. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe.Meanwhile, the citys minimum temperature was 18.3 degrees Celsius on Friday, while the maximum was 31.9 degrees. IMD has issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms and lightning in the region. Light to moderate rain is also likely at isolated places on November 10, with the weather expected to be dry thereafter in the state, officials said. "The minimum temperature may fall by 2-4 degrees Celsius during the next two to three days over parts of the state," an IMD official said.

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