Delhi’s air quality improves to ‘moderate’ after 50 days, ‘poor’ forecast for Friday

Delhi's air quality is expected to stay ‘moderate’ till Thursday, but may worsen to ‘poor’ on Friday, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System.

Delhi experienced cleaner air on Wednesday after 50 days, with the air quality categorised as ‘moderate,’ offering much-needed relief from the pollution.

The evening sky in Delhi NCR appears clear and blue as visibility has increased in the city due to a drop in air pollution levels. (Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times)

The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of the city was recorded at 178 by 4 pm, a significant improvement from 268 on Tuesday.

Previously, the AQI had been in the ‘moderate’ category, with a reading of 198 on October 15. However, it worsened to the ‘poor’ category the next day, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

An official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed the improved air quality to strong surface winds, which were expected to continue through December 7.

These winds will likely be followed by a new western disturbance, leading to moderate fog from December 8.

Out of the 38 air quality monitoring stations in the city, only Sri Aurobindo Marg recored ‘very poor’ air quality, while eight others showed ‘poor’ quality. The rest were in the ‘moderate’ category, according to CPCB data.

Read: Delhi awaits winter chill as mild December continues

The CPCB classifies AQI between 0 and 50 as ‘good,’ between 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory,’ between 101 and 200 ‘moderate,’ between 201 and 300 ‘poor,’ between 301 and 400 ‘very poor,’ and above 400 ‘severe.’

The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi has forecasted that the air quality is likely to remain in the moderate category from Thursday, with a prediction of deterioration to the poor category on Friday and Saturday.

With clean air, the daytime temperature was recorded at 28 degrees Celsius, three notches above the normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The city recorded a minimum temperature of 12.5 degrees Celsius, 2.5 notches above the season's average, with humidity levels fluctuating between 66 per cent and 44 per cent during the day.

The weather department has forecast mist for Thursday, with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to hover around 26 and 10 degrees Celsius, respectively.