Mercury may rise, but air will get cleaner: IMD

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recordings show that Delhi’s air quality on Friday was 234, in the ‘poor’ category. On Thursday, the AQI was 255, also categorised as ‘poor’.

The air quality in the national capital improved marginally on Friday on the back of stronger winds during the day, even as the temperature dropped, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The department said there is a forecast of light rains in some parts of the city in the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.

IMD scientists said winds picked up speed during the day on Friday, due to light rain in some areas of Faridabad on Friday, leading to the dispersion of pollutants. (Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recordings show that Delhi’s air quality on Friday was 234, in the ‘poor’ category. On Thursday, the AQI was 255, also categorised as ‘poor’.

On Friday, the minimum temperature at the Safdarjung observatory, considered the official marker for the city, was 9.6 degree Celsius, while the maximum temperature was 16.9 degree Celsius — both normal for this time of the season.

IMD scientists said winds picked up speed during the day on Friday, due to light rain in some areas of Faridabad on Friday, leading to the dispersion of pollutants.

VK Soni, head of IMD’s environment monitoring and research centre, said winds will get significantly stronger from January 10.

“Because of increased wind speeds, air quality will also show a good improvement. On Saturday, the air quality is expected to be between the ‘poor’ and ‘moderate’ zones,” said Soni.

IMD has also forecast that the temperature is expected to increase slightly over the weekend due to another western disturbance affecting Delhi and areas in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre, said there is a possibility of moderate to dense fog in the early hours of Saturday.

“There is no major warning of any drastic dip temperature in the coming days. The fog in the early hours is also likely to be moderate. The wind from Sunday will also help clear the fog,” said Srivastava.

Due to abundant moisture and other favourable meteorological features, dense to very dense fog is also likely over isolated pockets in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, West Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and east Uttar Pradesh on January 9 and 10, IMD officials said.