India: New Delhi's AQI turns 'very poor' again, temperature likely to fall

The air quality of India's national capital New Delhi, after falling in the 'poor' category, again turned 'very poor' on Thursday (Dec 7).

The air quality index (AQI) in the capital city was 289 at 10 am (local time) and reached 301 – which falls under the 'very poor' category by 11 am (local time) and further deteriorated to 315 by 3 pm (local time).

On Thursday, the national capital's average AQI was 320, in comparison to 287 a day earlier. The minimum temperature, meanwhile, was 9.2 degrees Celsius which was the same as that of Wednesday's and also was the lowest temperature of the season.

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Temperature to dip

According to the weather department, the temperature in New Delhi will start falling from Friday (Dec 8). The capital city's maximum temperature was 25.8 degrees Celsius, which was a notch above the normal temperature of the season, against 26.4 degrees on Wednesday. The day also remained foggy on Thursday in Delhi.

The pollution level increased as foggy conditions and low wind speed obstructed ventilation. As per the Air Quality Early Warning System, the AQI is likely to remain 'very poor' on Friday (Dec 8), although slight improvement is likely to take place on Saturday (Dec 9).

According to the forecast, the air quality may remain 'poor' to 'very poor' next week. As per the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology's Decision Support System, 27 per cent of PM2.5 has been attributed to other sources, 15 per cent to transport and 5 per cent to industries which are located in and around Delhi.

On Thursday, both PM2.5 and PM10 levels increased in the air. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, PM2.5 hovered nearly 135.8 micrograms per cubic metre at 6 pm (local time) in comparison to 110.8 a day earlier.

As per the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the national capital is likely to receive no rain till December 11. Last week, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that Grap-3 has been lifted in the capital city but the government has been making efforts to ensure that Grap-1 and 2 are strictly implemented.

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"Due to the change in weather during the last two days, there has been a decline in pollution. The Commission for Air Quality Management has lifted the restrictions of Grap-3. The ban on BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel vehicles and the ban on construction demolition have been lifted," said Gopal Rai.

"GRAP 3 is imposed when AQI is 400, but it continued despite low AQI because fluctuations were visible in AQI after Diwali. If the wind speed slows down, AQI may increase again, hence GRAP-1 and GRAP-2 should be strictly implemented. For this, directions are being given to all the departments again," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)