Delhi’s air quality still ‘very poor’; min temp likely around 10 degrees C

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), New Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) reading was 387 at 7am on Thursday. On Wednesday, the AQI of the Capital was 361

New Delhi’s air quality remained in the “very poor” category on Thursday, with the minimum temperature likely to hover around 10 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said.

Commuters travel in dense smog during the morning hours in New Delhi on Wednesday. Delhi’s air quality remained in the “very poor” category on Thursday, with the minimum temperature likely to hover around 10 degrees Celsius. (ANI/File)

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), New Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) reading was 387 at 7am on Thursday. On Wednesday, the AQI of the Capital was 361.

The CPCB classifies an AQI of zero to 50 as “good”, 51-100 as “satisfactory”, 101-200 as “moderate”, 201-300 as “poor”, 301-400 as “very poor” and above 401 as “severe”.

On Wednesday, the minimum temperature recorded at Delhi’s Safdarjung weather station, considered as the official marker for the city’s weather, was 9.2 degrees Celsius - two degrees below normal for this time of the year. The maximum temperature was 28.8 degrees Celsius, two degrees above normal, the IMD said.

At the Aya Nagar observatory, the minimum temperature fell to 8.8 degrees Celsius, three degrees below normal. Aya Nagar was among the top 10 localities in northwest India that recorded lowest minimum temperatures on Wednesday, according to the IMD’s regional meteorological centre.

Forecasters said the drop in Wednesday’s temperature was because of clear skies over Delhi in the previous two days. Met officials said clear skies result in faster cooling of the Earth’s surface, causing the mercury to drop.

“The forecast for Thursday and Friday is that temperatures may rise by 1-2 degrees Celsius,” a senior IMD official said.