POLLUTION

Delhi's Air Quality Re-Enters the Very Poor Category Amid the Cold Wave; Rains May Bring Down AQI Next Week

Cold winter day in Delhi. (Anindya Chattopadhyay/TOI, BCCL, Delhi) — Representational image.
(Anindya Chattopadhyay/TOI, BCCL, Delhi)

Amid the ongoing cold wave, the minimum temperature in the national capital dropped to 2.6°C on Wednesday, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The mercury levels at the Safdarjung base station and Lodhi road stood at 2.6°C and 2.2°C, respectively. At the same time, Palam registered a minimum temperature of 6°C.

As a cold wave continues to affect the region, air pollution levels have returned to the very poor category.

On Wednesday, Delhi's air quality entered the "very poor" category with an overall AQI of 316.

At Pusa, the AQI was recorded at 318, under the "very poor" category, while the AQI levels at Lodhi Road and Ayanagar stood at 245 and 273, respectively, under the 'poor' category.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) forecast, for the next three days, surface wind speed and an increase in temperature will likely improve air quality. Still, it will remain within the 'very poor' or upper range of the 'poor' category.

Meanwhile, the northwestern plains could witness light to moderate rains and strong winds from next week, which could positively impact the air pollution levels in the region.

A fresh western disturbance is expected to bring light to moderate hailstorms at isolated places over Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh and North Rajasthan on January 23 and 24.

For reference, an AQI between 0 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".

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The above article has been published from a wire source with minimal modifications to the headline and text.

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