New Delhi: The mercury in the national Capital settled at 20.8 degree Celsius on Tuesday, a notch below the normal, officials said even as data from the Central Pollution Control Board showed that January recorded cleanest air Delhi had seen since 2015 — from when the data has been made public.
According to the data, the Capital's average air quality index (AQI) last month was recorded at 279 — a significant dip from the 324 recorded in 2021 January.
The data also showed that in January this year, the city reported two days of "satisfactory" air quality — out of the norm for this time of the winter season — during which pollution levels peak annually. Moreover, there was only one day of "severe" air quality and on most days the AQI was in the "poor" range.
The improvement in air quality can largely be attributed to the record-setting monsoon this season and the winds that accompanied it.
Meanwhile, on the first day of February, the relative humidity was recorded at 68 per cent in the evening, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which added that the minimum temperature was recorded at seven degrees Celsius, two notches below the normal.
Fog in the air in various parts of the city also hit visibility in the morning. The relative humidity in the morning was recorded at 97 per cent, according to the IMD.
On Monday morning too, the Safdarjung Observatory had recorded a low of 6.4 degrees Celsius, two notches below the average, while the maximum temperature had stood at 22.2 degrees Celsius. On Tuesday, the maximum temperature stood at 20.8 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.
The weatherman had forecast mainly clear sky later in the day. The air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded in the 'very poor' category late evening, data from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed.