Strong winds help to improve city’s air quality

The city’s air quality remained in the poor category for the second consecutive day on Monday, recording 204 on the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) air quality index (AQI) bulletin

The city’s air quality remained in the poor category for the second consecutive day on Monday, recording 204 on the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) air quality index (AQI) bulletin. However, this was a marginal improvement from Sunday’s AQI reading of 218 in the same category. Experts said that the air quality had improved on account of stronger winds that aided better ventilation.

HT Image

VK Soni, head of India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) environment monitoring and research centre, said that strong winds had prevailed during the day on Monday, due to which the AQI had improved. “Strong winds with speed ranging between 8-12kmph prevailed during the day, as a result of which some improvement was seen. The skies are clear and easterly winds are prevailing. Winds are not blowing from the dust-prone regions as yet,” said Soni. He added that a further improvement in the air quality could be expected in the next few days.

The level of ultra-fine particulate matter having a diameter of 2.5 microns or less (PM 2.5) — the city’s primary pollutant — was recorded at 141.12 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) on Monday, as per the CPCB’s air quality monitor at Vikas Sadan in Sector 11. At the official monitor in Sector 51, the PM 2.5 concentration stood at 175.05µg/m3 on Monday.

According to the early air quality warning system for Delhi-NCR, the air quality is likely to deteriorate marginally but remain in the moderate to poor category on Tuesday. The AQI is expected to be in the ‘moderate’ category on Wednesday. Subsequently, the air quality is likely to remain in the ‘moderate’ to ‘poor’ categories over the next five days.

While the IMD’s automatic weather station (AWS) for Gurugram did not record either the minimum or maximum temperatures on Monday, the IMD’s AWS at the Palam observatory in Delhi, recorded the day’s minimum temperature at 20.1 degrees Celsius. The city’s maximum temperature stood at 31.1 degrees Celsius. As per the IMD’s weekly forecast, the maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 32 and 16 degrees Celsius respectively on Tuesday.