Delhi’s air deteriorates further, slight improvement on horizon

Central Pollution Control Board recordings show that the overall air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was 357, in the “very poor” zone, on Thursday. On Wednesday, the AQI was 318

The air quality in Delhi at 7am on Friday deteriorated to reach the higher end of the“very poor” zone. It was recorded at 406 in the AQI scale.

Representational image. (Biplov Bhuyan/HT PHOTO)

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recordings show that the overall air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was 357, in the “very poor” zone, on Thursday. On Wednesday, the AQI was 318.

Union ministry of earth science’s air quality monitoring centre, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar), forecasted that the pollution levels are expected to reduce in the coming days.

“A marginal improvement in ventilation index is forecasted for the next two days and AQI is likely to marginally improve to the lower end of the very poor category in the next two days. AQI is forecasted to marginally deteriorate towards the middle-end of the very poor category on January 31,” the Safar forecast read.

On Thursday, the minimum temperature at the Safdarjung observatory, which is considered the official marker for the entire city, was 3.8 degrees Celsius, which was five degrees below what is considered normal for this time of the year. The maximum temperature was also three degrees below normal, at 19.4 degrees Celsius.

The IMD forecast said that the cold conditions are not expected to subside at least till February 1.