Delhi’s air quality to remain ‘very poor’ over next three days

The national capital is also likely to receive some light rain early next week, owning to an approaching winter disturbance, the IMD has said.

The air quality in the national capital is likely to remain in the very poor category over the next three days at least, government agencies have said.

A man on the banks of the Yamuna River during a foggy morning in Delhi. (Reuters File)

On Thursday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) value in Delhi was recorded to be 349, which falls under the ‘very poor’ category of air pollution. This is the fourth consecutive day on which the air quality has remained in the ‘very poor’ category.

“The air quality is likely to remain in ‘very poor’ category over the next three days at least. This is mainly because of low wind speed and poor ventilation index (the factor which determines how fast pollutants are dispersed),” said a scientist from Safar, a pollution forecasting wing of the union government.

Meteorologists have forecasted that there could be a shallow fog in the morning and a haze throughout the day on Friday. This is because there is high relative humidity in the air and the wind speed is not favourable for dispersal of pollutants.

On Thursday, while the minimum temperature was recorded to be 9.8 degrees Celsius, the maximum temperature was recorded to be 25.1 degrees Celsius. Both were one degree above normal.

The national capital is also likely to receive some light rain early next week, owning to an approaching winter disturbance, the IMD has said.

“A clear sky will help the night temperature drop over the next few days. It is expected to drop to around 6 degrees Celsius on Saturday. The day temperature is, however, expected to rise by a degree or two because of good sunshine.”