The national Capital on Friday continued to breathe foul air, with Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) remaining in the ‘very poor’ category. At 4 p.m., the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded an AQI of 374, indicating a slight improvement from the morning reading of 387 at 7:05 a.m.
However, the air quality had worsened earlier in the day, with the AQI dipping from Thursday’s rolling average of 373 on Friday morning, according to CPCB data from the Sameer app.
The CPCB classifies air quality as ‘moderate’ when the AQI is between 101 and 200, ‘poor’ between 201 and 300, and ‘very poor’ between 301 and 400.
AQI levels above 400 fall under the ‘severe’ category. For the implementation of emergency Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) measures, AQI readings of 450 and above are categorised as ‘severe plus’.
AQI levels exceeding 400 adversely affect healthy individuals and can have serious impacts on people with pre-existing health conditions.
Experts attributed Delhi’s poor air quality to meteorological factors — calm winds, low temperatures, and high moisture, along with local pollution sources.
On Friday, winds improved slightly, preventing a further drop in air quality, which is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category for another day.
According to the Centre’s Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi, the situation is likely to deteriorate from Sunday through Monday, with air quality dropping to the ‘severe’ category. The forecast for the subsequent six days from Tuesday onwards is likely to oscillate between ‘severe’ to ‘very poor’ air.
A feeble fresh western disturbance over the weekend is the likely cause for the declining air quality as opposing wind currents weaken surface winds.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast foggy conditions during the early hours of Saturday.
Meanwhile, on Friday, very dense fog enveloped airports across the city, with visibility dropping to zero at Safdarjung and 50 metres at Palam. The fog affected flight operations across all districts of Delhi until around 10 a.m., with conditions improving later in the day as sunlight cleared the sky.
Visibility began improving after 8:30 am, reaching 300 metres by 11:30 am, according to officials from the weather department.
IMD has forecast a partly cloudy sky for the next four days, with moderate to dense to very dense fog during the morning hours on Saturday. Moderate to dense fog is likely for Delhi on Sunday and Monday, according to the IMD prediction.
Meanwhile, the maximum temperature on Friday rose by nearly 2°C from the previous day, settling at 22.1°C, about 2 degrees above the normal for this time of year.
The minimum temperature stood at 9°C, which is within the near-normal range.
