GURGAON: The air quality index (AQI) on Wednesday deteriorated to poor at 222. It was at 196 (moderate) on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Sector 51 recorded the highest AQI at 285 (poor), followed by Gwalpahari (195), Teri Gram (178) and Vikas Sadan (162).The wind speed was 6kmph on Wednesday, down from 10kmph the day before. This reduced the pollutants to disperse also as the humidity was 63% which made the process of dispersion slow.According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar), weather conditions are likely to be highly unfavourable for dispersion of pollutants from November 30."The predominant surface wind is likely to be coming from the northeast or southeast with speeds of up to 8kmph. There will also be fog. The maximum mixing depth is likely to be between 600 m2/s and 3,500 m2/s in the region. A ventilation index lower than 6,000 m2/s with an average wind speed of less than 10 kmph is unfavourable for dispersion of pollutants," it stated.Meanwhile, experts said, AQI is likely to deteriorate further in the coming days. Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at the Centre for Science and Environment, said, "Though the influx of long-range transportation of biomass from paddy burning districts of Punjab and Haryana has come down, the region has entire winter cycle to witness thermal inversion. This is making the pollutants heavy. Also, local emissions like vehicular pollution, road dust, garbage burning and construction dust are very high. Unless policies are made to curtail these emissions at the sources, the pollution will remain an issue throughout the year in the region."The PM2.5 level was highest on Wednesday in Sector 51 (289 g/m³), followed by Gwalpahari (254 g/m³), 222 g/m³ in Teri Gram, and 198 g/m³ in Vikas Sadan. The level of PM10 was the highest at Sector 51 (267 g/m³), followed by Teri Gram (245 g/m³) and Gwalpahari (222 g/m³). Vikas Sadan doesnt record PM10 data. According to the CPCB, the annual average permissible limits for PM2.5 and PM10 are 60g/m³ and 100 g/m³, respectively.AQI in Delhi was at 290, Faridabad (281) and Ghaziabad (236) and Noida (272) - all in poor category.The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorologys early warning system has forecast the air quality to remain poor on Thursday and Friday in Delhi, and turn very poor by Saturday and stay there for the next six days. As per the weather department, there are chances of light rain and thundershowers on Thursday, which will be followed by foggy days making daytime appear gloomy. Earlier on Tuesday, the city and the adjoining regions had received rain, improving the air quality. However, the subsequent rise in moisture and very light rain led to further aggregation of the pollutants. Health experts said, patients with pre-existing respiratory conditions or medical conditions are at more risk now as the region is entering the winter cycle. Dr Gurmeet Singh Chabbra, director and HOD - Pulmonology, Marengo Asia Hospitals, Faridabad, said, "The pervasive air pollution, often characterised by high concentrations of particulate matter, becomes a major contributor to respiratory issues such as coughing, wheezing, and exacerbated conditions like asthma.Those with chronic diseases should prioritize staying indoors during early morning or late evening hours when air quality is exceptionally poor."

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