Clear, blue skies in Delhi, air quality improves further

Clear, blue skies in Delhi, air quality improves further
New Delhi: Delhiites woke up to clear, blue skies and abundant sunshine on Saturday, marking a welcome relief from the suffocating haze that persisted for around two weeks.

At 7 am, the capital’s air quality index (AQI) stood at 219, which is a marked improvement compared to Thursday’s 24-hour average AQI of 437.

The notable improvement is attributable to intermittent rain over the last 32 hours and wind speed favourable for the dispersion of pollutants. The city experienced “very poor” to “severe” air quality for two weeks starting October 28.

Neighboring Gurugram (181), Ghaziabad (157), Greater Noida (131), Noida (148) and Faridabad (174) also recorded a significant improvement in air quality.

The IMD had earlier predicted a marginal improvement in the air quality just ahead of Diwali, owing to favourable meteorological conditions, including light rain, under the influence of a western disturbance.

The western disturbance led to rain over most parts of northwest India, including Punjab and Haryana, effectively reducing the contribution of smoke from stubble-burning to Delhi’s air pollution.

Once the western disturbance passes, the wind speed will increase to around 15 kilometres per hour on November 11 (Saturday) which will help disperse pollutants ahead of Diwali (November 12), an IMD official said earlier.