Delhi’s air quality improved to the ‘moderate’ category on Monday, facilitated by the record rain that lashed the city between last Friday and Saturday.
The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi at around 6 a.m. on Monday stood at 183.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered “good,” 51-100 “satisfactory,” 101-200 “moderate,” 201-300 “poor,” 301-400 “very poor,” 401-450 “severe,” and above 450 “severe plus”.
Of the AQI at 38 monitoring stations in the city listed in the Sameer app, which provides hourly data on the National Air Quality Index, the AQI at 23 stood in the moderate category, while one station — IHBAS, Dilshad Garden – was in the ‘satisfactory’ level with an AQI of 95.
Delhi on Sunday recorded a maximum temperature of 18 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The minimum temperature stood at 13 degrees Celsius on Sunday, six notches above the season’s average for this time of the month.
The 24-hour AQI was recorded at 225 in the ‘poor’ category at 4 p.m. on Sunday. On Saturday, the city’s AQI was in the ‘moderate’ category.
Delhi recorded the highest single-day December rainfall in 101 years between Friday and Saturday. According to the weather department, Delhi recorded 41.2 mm of rain in the past 24 four hours till 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.
According to the IMD, the capital recorded the highest-ever rainfall on a single day in the month on December 3, 1923, at 75.7 mm.
The rains also made December 2024 the fifth-highest in terms of monthly rainfall since records began in 1901, an official from the weather department said.
An active western disturbance and its interaction with easterly winds were cited as the reason behind the rainfall and thunderstorms over northwest and central India, including Delhi-NCR, the IMD said
While the ‘moderate’ AQI is a temporary relief, residents should stay prepared for potential fluctuations in air quality as winter progresses. If we look at past records, during the winter months, pollution often spikes in Delhi due to factors like the burning of crop residue in neighbouring states, increased vehicular emissions, and the use of solid fuels for heating. Changes in weather conditions also play an important role in determining air pollution levels. Winds can help disperse pollutants, leading to better air quality. However, if the conditions change, such as a drop in wind speed or an increase in humidity, pollution levels could rise again.
