Delhi air quality remains ‘very poor’ with foggy morning, may get worse

Experts predict the air pollution may increase over the next two days and will remain in the upper level of “very poor” category.

Delhi witnessed a foggy morning on Monday as the air quality continued to remain “very poor” and the minimum temperature was recorded at 7.6 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season’s average.

Delhi witnessed a foggy morning on Monday as the air quality continued to remain “very poor” and the minimum temperature was recorded at 7.6 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season’s average. (Sanchit Khanna/HT photo)

According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the level of PM2.5, fine particulate matter in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometre, was recorded at 201, ‘very poor’ category, and PM10 level at 336 in the ‘poor’ category at 8am.

SAFAR predicted the air pollution to increase over the next two days and remaining in the upper level of “very poor” category.

“An increase in pollution over the coming two days is expected to the upper level of very poor which may recover only by Wednesday if sufficient amount of rain occurs as expected,” SAFAR said in its daily pollution analysis.

“However, marginal shower often deteriorates air quality because high moisture content overshadows the washout effect,” it added.

“Western disturbances influence may impact Delhi air quality by introducing the moisture and making air heavy. The expected fall in temperature and moderate fog is likely to bring down the inversion layer to keep both gaseous and particulate pollutants near the surface.”

The weather office predicted a clear sky in the early part of Monday, becoming partially cloudy thereafter.

“There was shallow to moderate fog in the morning and haze or smog is expected thereafter. The sky will remain mainly clear becoming partially cloudy in the later part of the day,” an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

The humidity at 8.30am was 97%, an unfavourable condition for pollutants to disperse.

The maximum temperature on Monday was likely to hover at around 24 degrees Celsius.

The maximum temperature on Sunday settled at 24.8 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season’s average, and the minimum temperature was recorded at 8.2 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season’s average.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded an overall air quality index (AQI) of 377 on Sunday, the highest pollution level in nearly 20 days. The air quality in seven areas, Anand Vihar, Mundka, RK Puram, Rohini, Vivek Vihar, Jahangirpuri and Nehru Nagar, recorded ‘severe’ air quality while 20 areas recorded ‘very poor’ air quality, according to the CPCB.

The overall PM2.5 -- fine particulate matter in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometre -- level was recorded at 221 and the PM10 level at 389, it said.

(With agency inputs)