Delhi’s Air Quality Remains in ‘Very Poor’ Range, Relief Unlikely Soon
New Delhi’s residents are facing yet another day of hazardous air quality, as the city remains entrenched in the ‘very poor’ category. The Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded a concerning 346 on Saturday, very close to the previous day’s reading of 331. Experts predict that this unhealthy air quality will continue for at least the next week.
"Light winds blew across the city from 7 am to 9 am, but the direction was westerly," explained Mahesh Palawat, vice chairman of Skymet Meteorology. "Similar conditions are expected over the next two days."
A sliver of hope arrives in the form of a western disturbance projected to pass over the city on Sunday. "This may bring slightly improved air quality," Palawat said, "as winds may pick up. The disturbance’s influence is likely to dissipate by Sunday evening."
Unfortunately, the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, a forecasting body under the union ministry of earth sciences, paints a grim picture for the coming days.
"The air quality is predicted to remain in the ‘very poor’ range until December 2nd and could potentially stretch for six more days," they warn.
On Saturday, Shadipur fared the worst, registering a staggering AQI of 416, categorized as "severe," at 4 pm. Jahangirpuri and Burari Crossing followed closely behind with AQIs of 398 and 397, placing them at the "extreme end of very poor" range.
The vast majority of monitoring stations across Delhi also reported readings in the higher end of the ‘very poor’ category throughout the day. An IMD bulletin confirmed that the city experienced “mainly clear skies with wind speeds less than 6 kilometers per hour from the west-northwest direction.”
In contrast, neighboring districts showed relatively better air quality. Noida registered an AQI of 258, Greater Noida 292, Ghaziabad 252, and Gurgaon 291, all falling within the "poor" range. Faridabad boasted even better air quality, with an AQI of 175, classifying it as "moderate."
As per CPCB guidelines, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51-100 "satisfactory", 101-200 "moderate", 201-300 "poor", 301-400 "very poor", and over 400 "severe".
Delhi also experienced shallow fog both at Safdarjung, the city’s primary weather station, and Palam. The lowest visibility of 600 meters was recorded at Safdarjung at 7 am, later improving to 1,500 meters by 1 pm. Palam’s lowest visibility of 800 meters at 7:30 am also improved to 2,100 meters by 1 pm.
The minimum temperature settled at 9.8 degrees Celsius, slightly below the usual mark, while the maximum temperature reached 26.8 degrees Celsius, one degree above normal.
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