Moderate to poor AQI is forecast for March 23 and 24. Isolated thunderstorms with gusty winds can lead to local dust lifting on March 23 and 24," SAFAR said in its bulletin.
The air quality in Delhi improved to the 'poor' from 'very poor' category on Saturday morning, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) standing at 280, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).
The World Air Quality Report 2020 said that 22 of the world's 30 most polluted cities are in India. Delhi is the world's most polluted capital.
The Delhi government in its annual budget for 2021-22 presented on Tuesday allocated an amount of Rs 9,394 crore to improve the city's pollution situation which constantly has been a challenging task for the last several years.
According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), PM10 pollutants were recorded at 245 and PM2.5 pollutants were recorded at 131.
Delhi woke up to "dense to very dense fog" on Saturday with the minimum temperature settling at 10.4 degrees Celsius, as per the Meteorological department.
The PM2.5 air pollution claimed approximately 54,000 lives in Delhi in 2020. PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. Exposure to PM2.5 is considered the most important environmental risk factor for deaths globally.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported AQIs of 392 in ITO, 412 in RK Puram and 406 in Chandni Chowk, all in the 'very poor' category.
The IMD also predicted similar conditions over other parts of the country, including "Dense to very dense (fog) at isolated places over Punjab and Haryana.
The air quality of the national capital improved to the 'moderate' category on Sunday as the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 159.
"The minimum temperature in Delhi dipped down to 3 degree Celsius and the maximum temperature is expected to touch 21 degree Celsius," the Regional Meteorological Department of Delhi stated in its daily report.
A fresh Western Disturbance will start affecting the Western Himalayan region Friday onwards. As a result, the mercury is likely to drop to 4 degrees Celsius by Monday, an IMD official said.
At least 16 Delhi-bound trains have been reported to be running late. The Delhi Airport, however, said that all flight operations are normal and low visibility procedures are in process.
In a tweet, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, "Dense to very dense fog observed over Punjab, West Uttar Pradesh and moderate to dense fog over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam and Meghalaya on 17.01.2021."
Mumbai on Friday once again recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 317 which was worse than that of Delhi, an official of the India Meteorological Department said.
The mercury is likely to increase slightly on Sunday and Monday under the influence of a fresh western disturbance affecting the upper reaches of the Himalayas.
For the plains, the IMD declares a cold wave when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or below and is 4.5 notches less than normal for two consecutive days. However, for small areas such as Delhi, a cold wave can be declared if the criteria is fulfilled even for a day.
According to the IMD, a "cold day" is when the minimum temperature is less than 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum is at least 4.4 degrees Celsius below the normal. A "severe" cold day is when the maximum temperature is at least 6.5 notches below the normal.
The air quality over Delhi and National Capital Regional Area is likely to improve marginally but remain in the upper end of the "Very Poor" category according to IMD.
Stubble burning has stopped now but Delhi's air pollution situation remains serious, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Friday urging the Arvind Kejriwal government to take swift action on the complaints forwarded to it by the CPCB.
Top News
