Delhi's air quality index reaches upper end of very poor zone

Pollution levels expected to remain same until at least Dec 17 when winds may pick up 
Partly cloudy skies, slow winds and a drop in mercury kept the air quality in the ‘very poor’ category. (Photo | Parveen Negi, EPS)
Partly cloudy skies, slow winds and a drop in mercury kept the air quality in the ‘very poor’ category. (Photo | Parveen Negi, EPS)

NEW DELHI:  The national capital’s air quality plunged further on Tuesday to reach the upper end of the ‘very poor’ zone owing to slowing down winds and low temperatures. The pollution situation is likely to persist until at least Dec 17 when winds are likely to pick up, said scientists and weather officials.

Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) on Tuesday was 367, as against 331. After showing some improvement for two days, air quality started deteriorating to ‘very poor’ from Monday onwards owing to slowing down winds, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.

Officials in the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that partly cloudy skies, slow winds and a drop in mercury were keeping the air quality ‘very poor’.

“The wind speed during the day was just around 5-7 kmph, which was not favourable for dispersion of pollutants. The air quality is likely to persist until December 17, when winds are likely to pick up, helping in dispersion,” said a senior IMD scientist.

Mahesh Palawat, vice-president, Skymet weather services, a private forecaster, said that a Western Disturbance had been affecting the hilly regions such as Jammu and Kashmir, which was having its impact on Delhi as well.

“The partly cloudy conditions are mainly because of the WD showing its impact in the northern plains as well. Whenever there is a WD affecting the weather, the winds slow down. This is further trapping pollutants in the atmosphere. The WD will clear out by December 16-17, when winds are likely to get strong up to 15-20 kmph and may help in fast dispersion thus improving air quality,” he said.

Also, he added that the minimum temperature is likely to drop further from December 18 onwards and may remain around 5-7 degrees Celsius.

On Tuesday, the minimum temperature was 7.5 degrees C, a notch below the season’s average. The maximum settled at 22.7 degrees C, a notch below normal for this time of the year.

The IMD in a bulletin on Tuesday said that temperatures in the whole of northwest India including Delhi-NCR as well as central parts of the country are likely to fall by 2-4 degrees C.

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