Delhi’s AQI remains in ‘satisfactory’ category

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”

Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the “satisfactory” category on Monday at 100 after heavy rainfall and thunderstorms for two days. A clear sky with moderate fog was expected in the city, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The minimum temperature was likely to be 9 degrees Celsius and the maximum 17 degrees Celsius.

A cold and rainy morning in New Delhi on Sunday. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

The mercury plunged to 15 degrees Celsius on Sunday; four notches below normal. It was the lowest recorded so far this winter. The minimum temperature was 13.8 degrees Celsius.

A rainy weekend pushed the air quality to the “satisfactory” zone for a third straight morning. The city’s 24-hour average AQI was 69 on Sunday.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.

Delhi’s pollution levels were expected to start rising from Monday with a likely drop in wind speed on Tuesday and Wednesday. “From Monday onwards, air pollutants will gradually start to get accumulated in the air in the absence of rainfall and relatively moderate ventilation,” said the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research.