Delhi wakes up to poor visibility; air quality 'very poor'
India | February 10, 2021 9:41 ISTThe 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 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.
The minimum temperature this season has remained 2-3 degrees Celsius below normal in the absence of a cloud cover on most days, according to IMD officials.
The 24-hour average was 231 on Saturday, 137 on Friday, 302 on Thursday and 413 on Wednesday.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) Member Secretary Prashant Gargava on Thursday assured that the air quality will substantially improve in coming years and that the country is on a right track in curbing the menace.
After the national capital saw more than a 100 Covid-19 deaths for four consecutive days, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Monda attributed the high COVID-19 death rate in the city to the pollution caused by stubble-burning and expected a downtrend in it in the next two-three weeks.
The newly-appointed Commission for Air Quality Management on Monday said it will take required steps to curb air pollution in the national capital, including formulation of appropriate policies and strategies to control stubble burning.
Delhi's air quality remained "poor" on Sunday and government agencies said it is likely to deteriorate further due to unfavourable meteorological conditions.
The air quality remained 'very poor' in Noida, Greater Noida, and Ghaziabad on Friday while it was in the 'poor' zone in Faridabad and Gurgaon in the National Capital Region (NCR), according to a government agency.
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