New Delhi: Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was 226, in the “poor” category, at 7am on Tuesday as the minimum temperature was likely to dip to 7 degrees Celsius. The average 24-hour AQI was 151 on Monday.
On Monday, the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (Safar) said the AQI remained in the “satisfactory” category due to rain that caused wet deposition of pollutants. It added for the next three days, a gradual increase in maximum temperature was likely due to cloud-free conditions. The wind speed was likely to be moderate leading to enhanced ventilation. “AQI is likely to degrade to ‘Moderate’ on 11th and 12th (Tuesday and Wednesday) due to moderate ventilation and absence of wet deposition of pollutants.” Safar said from Thursday onwards, low wind speeds were expected to reduce dispersion and degrade the air quality further.
The maximum temperature was expected to reach 19 degrees Celsius on Tuesday amid a moderate fog. On Monday, the maximum temperature was 18.1 degrees Celsius and the minimum 9.6 degrees Celsius.