City air still ‘very poor’; minimum temperature dips five degrees below normal

The city’s air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday, with the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) bulletin recording the air quality index

The city’s air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday, with the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) bulletin recording the air quality index (AQI) value at 306. Sunday’s reading was, however, an improvement from the previous day’s AQI reading of 358 in the same category.

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The level of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 — the city’s primary pollutant — was 360.52µg/m³ on Sunday, as per the data recorded by CPCB’s air quality monitor at Vikas Sadan in Sector 11. As per the CPCB’s classification, an AQI reading between 301 to 400 is categorised as ‘very poor’ and can lead to breathlessness and respiratory illnesses in cases of prolonged exposure.

According to the early air quality warning system for the National Capital Region (NCR), the air quality is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category on Monday. The air quality is expected to deteriorate marginally but nonetheless remain in the ‘very poor’ category on Tuesday as well. As per the warning system, a significantly large number of fire counts were observed over Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh on Sunday during the daytime, which is likely to impact the air quality over Delhi/NCR. However, a higher wind speed and better ventilation index were favourable for dispersal of pollutants till Monday.

On Sunday, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 29 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature was recorded at 11 degrees Celsius, roughly five degrees below the normal and a degree below Saturday’s minimum temperature. Both the minimum and maximum temperatures are expected to be in a similar range on Monday. Clear skies during the day with fog and mist in the morning are expected to prevail this week, as per the IMD’s weekly forecast.

“The fall in minimum temperature will continue as we move into November and the winter sets in. The sky is also clear due to which there is a cooling effect,” said Srivastava