On Friday, Delhi saw a minor improvement in its poisonous air conditions as more vigorous surface winds dispersed the pollution that had kept the Capital choking under “severe” air quality for three days before. Although it was a minor improvement, it was enough to change the Air Quality Index (AQI) to the higher end of “very poor,” according to data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Friday morning, AQI at 9 a.m. was 395, which is in the “very poor” category. As of 4 p.m., the AQI 24-hour average was recorded at 387, marking a large drop from the previous three days’ levels of 428, 418 and 404 all in “severe” range. According to CPCB standards, AQI between 301 and 400 is “very poor” air quality, and AQI above 400 is “severe.”
The meteorologists attributed the improvement mainly to higher wind speeds. At Skymet Weather, vice president Mahesh Palawat stated that winds picked up to 14-15 kmph throughout Friday when they were only 8-9 kmph a day before. “The increased wind speeds helped disperse pollutants to some extent, and we can expect another similar day on Saturday, with the winds blowing from a northwest and west direction,” he said.
The contributions of stubble burning support also decreased along with the wind support. Data from the Centre’s Decision Support System (DSS) indicated that the farm fire pollution share went down to 8.54% on Friday from 12% the day before.
Despite the small improvement, there is still pollution in the forecast. The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi has predicted that air quality will remain at the “very poor” level over the weekend. “Very poor conditions are likely from Saturday to Monday, and for 6 days thereafter fluctuations between very poor and severe,” according to the AQEWS bulletin.
Along with poor air quality, temperatures decreased slightly. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 10.2°C, although this was down from Thursday’s temperature of 10.6°C but 3.3 degrees below normal. The maximum temperature settled at 26.4°C, about 2.1°C below normal. The clear skies are expected through the weekend, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), with mist or shallow fog in the mornings. “Moderate fog may develop in isolated areas next week, as temperatures are expected to fall,” indicated the IMD official.
The IMD forecast indicates a minimum temperature of 10°C or lower over the weekend. The maximum temperature will likely remain between 24°C and 26°C before
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