New Delhi: Delhiites experienced a chilly Wednesday with the maximum temperature settling at 18.4 degrees Celsius, 3.7 notches below the season’s average. Station-wise data showed the maximum temperature at Palam at 16.5 degrees Celsius, Lodhi Road at 18 degrees Celsius, Ridge at 17.7 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar at 17 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature settled at 12.6 degrees Celsius, 4.2 notches above the season’s average.
According to IMD observations, the average rainfall recorded till 8.30 am on January 28 since the last 24 hours stood at 4.3 mm at Safdarjung, 14.8 mm at Palam, 3.4 mm at Lodi Road, 14.4 mm at Ridge and 5 mm at Ayanagar.
The average Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 255 in the ‘poor’ category at 4 pm, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said.
The air quality is likely to be in the ‘poor category from January 28 to January 29, while it will be in the ‘very poor’ category from January 30 to January 31, according to the Air Quality Warning System.
By evening, 10 stations recorded ‘very poor’ air quality, 21 were in the ‘poor’ category, and eight in ‘moderate’, with Sonia Vihar recording the worst AQI at 326.
According to the Decision Support System, Delhi transport contributed approximately 12.6 per cent to pollution levels, followed by Delhi and peripheral industries (10 per cent), Delhi residential sources (3.2 per cent), waste burning (1.9 per cent) and construction activities (1.6 per cent). Among NCR districts, Sonipat emerged as a major contributor at 11.3 per cent, followed by Jhajjar (7.2 per cent), Baghpat (4.6 per cent), Panipat (2.9 per cent), Ghaziabad and Faridabad (2.6 per cent each), Muzaffarnagar (2.2 per cent), Gautam Buddha Nagar (2.1 per cent), Rohtak (1.9 per cent), Gurgaon (1.8 per cent), Bulandshahr (1.7 per cent) and Karnal (1.4 per cent).