The air quality index (AQI) for the national capital on Sunday morning remained in the severe category for the fourth day in a row, despite a marginal improvement.
Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed the AQI to be 405 at 7am on Sunday.
An AQI between 401 and 500 is considered severe, leading to distress and respiratory complications, especially in children and the elderly.
On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI was 450, 406, and 427, respectively.
Scientists have predicted that relief from bad air is unlikely until Tuesday (November 10).
More than 4,500 agricultural fires taking place in neighboring Haryana and Punjab contributed to around 32% of the ultrafine particulates (PM 2.5), which could not be dispersed, in the air of Delhi despite the slightly better wind speed. Saturday, compared to Friday.
VK Soni, head of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) environmental monitoring research center, said that during the day the average wind speed was around 12 kilometers per hour (kmph), which was higher than that of the Friday.
However, its impact was not seen in the AQI due to an increase in stubble burning cases in Haryana and Punjab. He said the northwesterly winds are bringing a large load of pollutants from these agricultural fires to the national capital.
“During the last three days we have observed that the number of agricultural fires detected in Punjab alone exceeds 4,000. These fires typically occur on Sundays at this time of year. Although the wind speed increased during the day, the improvement in air quality was not as significant only due to an increase in the cases of agricultural fires, ”said Soni.
Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional weather forecast center, said that in parts of central Delhi the wind speed fluctuated between six and eight kilometers per hour on Saturday, but the corresponding figure was up to 16 kilometers per hour in the outer parts of the national capital.
“The wind is blowing from the northwest, bringing a lot of smoke from Haryana and Punjab,” he said.
Srivastava said there is a forecast that the wind direction will change to easterly winds starting Tuesday, but before then it will drop dramatically, possibly pushing the city’s air quality further into the “severe” zone.
“During the transition stage of a change in wind direction, the speed drops dramatically. The wind can calm down from Sunday night. This will only lead to a further deterioration in air quality, ”he warned.
IMD had forecast a foggy Sunday morning in the national capital. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to be around 30 degrees and 11 degrees Celsius (C), respectively.
On Saturday, Delhi’s low temperature, recorded at the Safdarjung Observatory, was 11.8 degrees C, two degrees below normal. The maximum temperature was 30 degrees C, one degree above normal.
