DELHI: The air quality further worsened in the national capital on Friday taking the Air Quality Index (AQI) towards the higher end of the ‘very poor’ category at several places and on the lower end of the ‘severe’ zone in outer Delhi. The night temperatures have also dropped and the wind speed is expected to improve by Saturday.
The overall AQI in Delhi was 339. The Ministry of Earth Sciences’ System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) has predicted an AQI of 329 across Delhi NCR for today which is towards the lower end of the ‘very poor’ category.
“An increase in surface and boundary layer wind speeds is forecasted from Friday afternoon for the next two days. The condition is forecasted to improve significantly to the lower end of the ‘very poor’ category; further improvement to the poor category is expected by 24 November. The high wind speed is likely to flush out accumulated pollutants over the Delhi region,” SAFAR stated.
It also underlined that by the next few days, wind speeds are likely to have a positive impact on the AQI of northwest India. As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI recorded in ‘severe’ category, on Friday, included outer Delhi’s Anand Vihar with 412 and Rohini with 420 in the evening.
In south and central Delhi, most places recorded an AQI of over 300, on the higher end of the ‘very poor’ category including ITO at 358, JLN Stadium at 366, Lodhi Road at 326 and Mandir Marg at 335.