NEW DELHI: A thick layer of dust enveloped Delhi-NCR on Thursday morning following overnight storms that drastically reduced visibility and pushed the capital’s air quality into the ‘poor’ category.
Triggered by strong westerly winds carrying dust from northern Pakistan across Punjab and Haryana, the storm swept through the city with wind speeds reaching 30-40 kmph.
Visibility at IGIA dropped from 4,500 metres to 1,200 metres between 10pm and 11.30pm on Wednesday, according to the IMD. The situation improved slightly by Thursday morning, with Palam reporting 4,000 metres visibility, though Safdarjung and Palam airports continued to record poor visibility in the 1,200–1,500 metre range due to weak surface winds.
As a result, Air Quality Index (AQI) deteriorated to 236 at 8am, moving from the ‘moderate’ to ‘poor’ category. By 4pm, the city’s average AQI had deteriorated further to 292.