Air quality in Delhi to be ‘moderate’ this week

As per the meteorological forecast, Delhi’s air quality this week will remain “moderate” In the weekly air forecast of Air Quality Index (AQI), US Embassy, the values of prominent pollutants have been marked relatively “low”. The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) also measured less concentration of pollutants in city air.

In the weekly forecast of the US Embassy, the values of both the pollutants (PM 10, PM 2.5) have fluctuated between 88 and 137 µg/m3. Meanwhile, values of other pollutants, such as nitrate of oxides, will also remain low.

On Sunday, Anand Vihar – the city’s most polluted area in with respect to air quality – recorded 256 µg/m3 concentration of PM 10. It had earlier been recorded at 1,150 µg/m3. At Indira Gandhi International Airport, the pollutant values were measured at very low, a positive sign for flight operations.

According to environment scientists, wind speeds are playing a pivotal role to bring down the values of Suspended Particulate Matters (SPM). As per meteorological sensors of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), wind speed was recorded at 10 km/hr, while humidity level was recorded at 61 per cent.

Meanwhile, residents of Delhi on Sunday woke up to a chilly morning. Shallow to moderate fog was witnessed in some parts of the city which delayed the movement of 26 trains. The visibility was recorded at 600 m at 5.30 am, both at Safdarjung and Palam. At 8.30 am, visibility was recorded at 500 m at Safardarjung and 300 m at Palam, a MeT department official said.

According to a Railways official, 26 trains were running behind their respective schedules, while nine trains have been rescheduled due to poor visibility caused by the fog layer. “The minimum temperature was recorded at 7.2 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal,” the official said.

Humidity was recorded at 87 per cent at 8.30 am. The weatherman said that skies will remain clear throughout the day. “There will be mainly clear sky and maximum temperature is expected to settle around 22 degrees Celsius,” the official said. On Sunday, the minimum and maximum temperatures were recorded at 8.2 degrees Celsius and 21.6 degrees Celsius respectively.