E-Paper
Delhi’s air quality deteriorates, inches closer to ‘severe’ zone
A thick haze of smoke and moisture kept visibility low, prompting health concerns as pollutant concentrations climbed steadily
Delhi’s air quality continued to deteriorate, inching closer to the “severe” zone on Monday morning, as low wind speeds and dipping temperatures trapped pollutants close to the surface. A 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 396 was recorded at 7am, compared to 391 at 4pm on Sunday and 370 on Saturday, data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed.
A thick haze of smoke and moisture kept visibility low, prompting health concerns as pollutant concentrations climbed steadily. The Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) forecast indicated the situation is unlikely to improve in the short term.
“Delhi’s air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category from Monday to Wednesday. The outlook for the subsequent six days from Thursday shows the air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category,” the EWS said in its daily bulletin.
The CPCB classifies air as “good” when AQI is 50 or lower; “satisfactory” between 51 and 100; “moderate” between 101 and 200; “poor” between 201 and 300; “very poor” between 301 and 400; and “severe” when it exceeds 400. This season, Delhi has logged three severe air days between November 11 and 13.
At 7am on Monday, CPCB data showed that out of Delhi’s 39 ambient air quality monitoring stations, 20 were in “severe” with the remaining 19 in “very poor” categories. Rohini had the worst air quality (456), followed by Vivek Vihar (455).
The Capital’s AQI has stayed in the “very poor” category for 18 continuous days since November 6. Calm surface winds and long winter nights, which allow pollutants to accumulate, remain the key factors behind the dip in AQI.
No significant change in the weather conditions is likely in the coming days. Winds are expected to remain low at night and in the early hours, possibly picking up to speeds of 5-10 km per hour during the day.
Delhi’s minimum temperature on Sunday (10.4°C) was a degree below normal and lower than Saturday’s 11.8°C. The maximum temperature of 26.7°C was normal for the season, after touching 27.3°C, a day earlier. The India Meteorological Department said the minimum temperature was expected to dip further to between 8°C and 10°C on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the maximum was likely to stay between 24°C and 26°C until Tuesday and possibly fall by another degree on Wednesday.
Shallow fog is expected to persist during the early morning hours this week and may further limit pollutant dispersion and keep the haze across the city intact.
