Light rain in parts of Delhi-NCR; air quality worsens

The average wind speed in Delhi is likely to remain around 8-10kmph on Saturday and Sunday, which means that the air quality is likely to remain in the “poor” zone till Monday

Light rain in certain parts of Delhi-NCR and calm winds led to the deterioration of air quality on Saturday with the air quality index (AQI) shooting up to 348, in the “very poor” zone, at 7am.

A man with his head covered in a piece of cloth, seen outside the New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS), on a cold, winter morning in New Delhi. (Biplov Bhuyan/HT PHOTO)

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data shows that the overall AQI of Delhi was 295, in the “poor” category. On Thursday, the AQI settled at 284, also in the same category.

Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre, said that with a western disturbance impacting the entire region, pollution levels are not expected to worsen much over the weekend. Winds are likely to pick up during the day and settle the pollution levels, he said.

“The wind speed reduced to 6kmph and the direction also changed from north-westerly to easterly on Friday. Some areas in Haryana have received rainfall on Friday afternoon,” said Srivastava.

He said that the average wind speed in Delhi is likely to remain around 8-10kmph on Saturday and Sunday, which means that the air quality is likely to remain in the “poor” zone till Monday.