Delhi’s air quality in ‘poor’ category as temperatures rise

The AQI reading was likely to worsen in the next 24 hours until wind speeds were expected to pick up in the national capital from Tuesday

NEW DELHI: Delhi’s air quality was in the “poor” category on Monday morning as the mercury was expected to hover at around 27 degrees Celsius. An Air Quality Index (AQI) of 251 was recorded at 7am on Monday, compared to 253 on Sunday.

(HT Photo)

The air quality was likely to worsen in the next 24 hours until wind speeds were expected to pick up from Tuesday. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research, the AQI on Sunday degraded from Saturday when it was in the “moderate” category.

“Low wind speed is likely on... Monday, leading to reduced ventilation and AQI is expected to worsen to the upper end of the ‘poor’ or the lower end of the ‘very poor’ category by Monday.”

The minimum temperature was expected to rise to around 9 degrees Celsius, two notches higher than Sunday when the city recorded a maximum of 26.4 degrees Celsius, three degrees above the normal.

The chill was subsiding with clear skies in Delhi, which has led to an increase in day temperatures. “The maximum temperature, which was around 21-22 degrees following the last spell of rain, is almost now as high as 27 degrees. It could rise even further in the coming week,” said R K Jenamani, a scientist at India Meteorological Department. “The minimum [temperature] will also be around 9 to 10 degrees next week, making nights also warmer.”