City air improves as winds pick up speed

The air quality in the city improved on Monday, with Gurugram recording an air quality index (AQI) of 226 (poor), an improvement from the AQI of 359 (very poor)

The air quality in the city improved on Monday, with Gurugram recording an air quality index (AQI) of 226 (poor), an improvement from the AQI of 359 (very poor) on Sunday, as per the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) daily bulletin. Experts attributed the improvement to high-speed winds and a change in the wind direction.

HT Image

Sachin Panwar, a city-based independent air quality scientist, said that winds had been blowing at 10-14kmph which aided better dispersal of pollutants. “Apart from the strong wind speeds, the wind direction has also changed. It is slightly warmer too in comparison to the cold days earlier. The air quality should remain in a similar range for the next few days,” said Panwar. He said that another patch of bad air could be expected around New Year or in the next 4-5 days. “The impact of western disturbance is still there. As such, we might see some rain this week or the next which could further help in clearing of air but with the drop in temperatures, air quality will go down,” said Panwar.

According to the early air quality warning system for Delhi-NCR, the air quality is likely to remain in the “poor” to lower end of the “very poor” category on Tuesday. The air quality is likely to deteriorate but remain in the “very poor” category on Wednesday. Subsequently, over the next five day, the air quality is likely to deteriorate and mostly remain in the upper end of the very poor category.

The city recorded a minimum temperature of 6 degrees Celsius and a maximum temperature of 18.4 degrees Celsius on Monday, according to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Palam Observatory in Delhi, which, according to the MeT department officials, gives a fairly accurate reading of the city’s weather. The IMD’s automatic weather station (AWS) did not record the city’s minimum temperature on Monday.

On Tuesday, the minimum temperature is expected to settle around 5 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature may stay around 18 degrees Celsius, as per the IMD’s weekly forecast. As per IMD’s forecast, cold wave conditions are likely to prevail on Tuesday as well.