Delhi sees its best air day since October 13 last year

The last time Delhi had a better air day was on October 13, 2022, when the AQI reading was 130 (moderate)

Strong surface winds led to a sharp improvement in Delhi’s pollution levels on Wednesday, with the city recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 144 (moderate), according to the national bulletin released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) at 4 pm -- the best air day in the Capital in nearly four months.

Rashtrapati Bhawan on a clear day at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

The last time Delhi had a better air day was on October 13, 2022, when the AQI reading was 130 (moderate), CPCB data showed. Before Wednesday, Delhi had seen three straight days with the AQI in the poor zone -- it was 244 on Sunday, 265 on Monday and 285 on Tuesday.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said the strong winds on Wednesday also led to a slight drop in temperatures, with the city recording a maximum of 24.5 degrees Celsius (°C) -- one degree above normal for this time of the year -- and a minimum of 9.7°C, also one degree above the normal.

In comparison, the maximum on Tuesday was 25.4°C, while the minimum was 12.8°C.

IMD forecasts show wind speeds are likely to dip once again on Thursday and Friday, leading to a rise in temperatures. “From Thursday again, we will see a dip in wind speed and at the same time, the wind direction will switch from northwesterly, which are cold winds, back to south-easterly and westerly, which are comparatively warmer,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD.

Air quality forecasts show a slight deterioration in pollution levels as well, with AQI readings likely to be in the “poor” range till February 11.

“Delhi’s air quality is likely to deteriorate marginally and will reach the lower end of the ‘poor’ category on Thursday. The air quality is likely to improve marginally after that, but it will remain in the lower end of the ‘poor’ category on Friday. It will remain ‘poor’ on Saturday as well,” said the Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi, a forecasting system under the ministry of earth sciences.

IMD’s Srivastava said the wind direction will switch back to northwesterly on Saturday. “We are seeing a fluctuation in the maximum and minimum temperature, based on the wind speed and wind direction, but it will remain above normal over the next six days as well,” he said.