Gurugram, Oct. 19 -- The district's air quality remained in the "poor" category on Saturday, with an AQI of 258, marginally higher than Friday's 266, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. This marks the third consecutive day of deteriorating air. Officials said the spike coincides with the ongoing sale and bursting of "green firecrackers," permitted between October 18 and 21 under Supreme Court orders. According to the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), the concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 has increased sharply, pushing Gurugram to third place among Delhi-NCR cities in terms of air pollution levels. Other NCR cities like Greater Noida recorded an AQI of 248 (poor), while Delhi was at 268. Akansha Tanwar, an environmental engineer at HSPCB, said, "Around 70% of the pollution comes from vehicular movement, while the remaining 30% is due to construction sites and unmanaged construction and demolition waste." Outlining measures, Tanwar added, "We've launched anti-cracker awareness rallies and are conducting regular sampling of water, soil, and air. Inspections at construction sites are being carried out to ensure compliance with dust-control norms. Additionally, surprise checks will be conducted at firecracker godowns to ensure only green crackers are being sold." Krishan Kumar, regional officer of HSPCB, emphasised that Gurugram's air pollution is primarily due to local factors. "It's the city's own issues, such as broken roads and footpaths, that are significantly contributing to rising dust levels in the air," he said. Ravinder Yadav, additional commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), said, "Water sprinkling operations have been initiated across the city to help settle dust." To be sure, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had imposed stage one of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) across NCR on October 14, which is still in place. Meanwhile, forecasts by the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi suggest the AQI might degrade to the severe category by Tuesday, especially with enhanced emissions from firecrackers. Gurugram's maximum temperature on Saturday was 31.8degC, while the minimum was 18.3degC....