10.1°C: Mercury falls to season’s lowest in Delhi; AQI still ‘very poor’
Cold, northwesterly winds led to a sharp dip in Delhi’s mercury, with the Capital’s minimum dropping to 10
Cold, northwesterly winds led to a sharp dip in Delhi’s mercury, with the Capital’s minimum dropping to 10.1 degrees Celsius (°C) — the lowest of the winter season so far, India Meteorological Department (IMD) data showed.
The winds, blowing at speeds of 10-12kmph, also kept Delhi’s pollution levels in the “very poor” zone — the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) national bulletin stated that the Capital’s average air quality index (AQI) reading at 4pm was 325, a slight deterioration from the previous day’s reading of 303.
However, as wind speeds dropped towards the evening, the city’s AQI began rising, increasing to 332 at 7pm, and dropping to 331 by 10pm.
The minimum of 10.1°C on Thursday was a sharp drop from the 11.9°C the previous day, but was normal for this time of the year. It was recorded at the Safdarjung observatory — representative of Delhi — but other parts of the city logged an even lower temperature.
The coldest part of the city was Pusa at 8.6°C, followed by 9.2°C at Lodhi Road and 9.8°C at Narela.
In terms of maximum temperature, Delhi recorded a high of 27.3°C on Thursday, which was a degree above normal and 0.3°C higher than Wednesday.
Forecasts show the minimum could dip below the 10-degree mark on Friday, before rising marginally over the weekend. The maximum should hover around 25°C over the next few days.
Meteorological experts said a western disturbance will affect wind speeds over the weekend.
“We may also see the wind direction switch and become variable, thus raising the minimum temperature by a degree or two,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet.
Separately, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Thursday said it has delegated its powers under CAQM Act section 14 to member secretaries of the pollution control boards of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan, allowing them to prosecute project proponents or executing agencies in cases of violations related to dust mitigation measures.
The decision comes after the Supreme Court on Monday had questioned why CAQM was not utilising section 14 of the Act.
CAQM also exempted people with disabilities to driver vehicles that are banned under various stages of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap). This includes allowing the use of the BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel vehicles.