Noida: Saturday evening in Noida and Ghaziabad turned out to be “pleasant” in comparison with the past few days, but the relief is not likely to last long.An increase in wind speed brought down the air quality index (AQI), but pollution is likely to increase over the week, officials in the UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) said. While AQI in Noida came down to “very poor”, in Ghaziabad and Greater Noida, it continued to be remain in the “severe” category.Saturday’s AQI in the three cities was lower than that on Friday, with Greater Noida at 420, Ghaziabad 403 and Noida 386. On Friday, Noida’s AQI was 442, Ghaziabad was at 441 and Greater Noida at 447.Pollution department officials said a surface windspeed of 5kmph caused pollutants to disperse. The wind speed is likely to remain similar on Sunday, when a shallow mist is expected in the morning and haze during the day.The air quality, however, is all likely to deteriorate further over next week as wind laden with pollutants caused by biomass burning will blow only 500 metres above the surface, the officials said.“The air quality improved somewhat on Saturday because there was a slight movement of surface wind. A surface wind movement is also expected on Sunday, which could dissipate the present concentration of pollutants. However, with burning of crops continuing unabated, air quality across NCR will continue to be polluted. The wind direction will add to it,” said Anil Singh, regional officer in UPPCB.Air quality had improved somewhat in NCR following curbs on the ground, but deteriorated after Diwali.

Stay updated with all the Noida Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.