Air quality dips, light rain predicted today

The air quality in the city remained in the ‘moderate’ category of the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) air quality index (AQI) bulletin on Thursday.

The air quality in the city remained in the ‘moderate’ category of the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) air quality index (AQI) bulletin on Thursday.

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The city recorded an AQI reading of 109, a marginal deterioration from the previous day’s 92 (‘satisfactory’). The average daily concentration of particulate matter (PM) 2.5, pollutants smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter and is the city’s most prominent pollutant, on Thursday was 86µg/m³, as per the HSPCB’s official air quality monitor at Vikas Sadan.

As per official forecasts, the air quality in the city is likely to improve to ‘satisfactory’ on Friday, due to a western disturbance that is expected to bring high-speed winds to Delhi-NCR on Friday.

A western disturbance that intensified into a ‘Western Depression’ over central Pakistan is likely to cause light rain over the western Himalayan region and northwest India states, such as Haryana, on Friday, as per the Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) forecast.

“There is a possibility of light to very light rain on Friday. The cyclonic circulation caused by the western disturbance has been converted into a western depression and is likely to cause light rain,” an official from the IMD said.

Friday’s rain is not expected to create any significant variation in temperature. “Light rain won’t make a major difference to the temperature. There won’t be any significant change but the temperatures may fluctuate by a degree,” the official said.

On Thursday, the Palam Observatory, which is the closest manual weather observatory to Gurugram, recorded a maximum temperature of 27.7 degree Celsius. Friday’s minimum temperature was recorded at 15 degrees Celsius. As per the IMD’s weekly forecast, a cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers can be expected on Friday. A clear sky has been protected for the next few days, starting Saturday.