The average air quality level in the Capital on Friday improved to ‘satisfactory’ — this is the cleanest air that Delhiites have breathed since August last year, an official with the Central Pollution Control Board said. Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida and Gurugram also reported ‘satisfactory’ air quality.
The monsoon hit Delhi this week with rain continuing to lash the city on Friday, bringing respite not only from the scorching heat but also from the air pollution that had peaked to unexpected levels this month.
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Air Quality Index
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The Air Quality Index (AQI) value for the Capital on Friday was 72, based on the readings provided by 19 monitoring stations across the city.
An AQI between 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe’.
“The air quality may further improve on Saturday and in the coming days. The monsoon winds cleaned the dusty air and brought the air quality to satisfactory level,” said Gufran Beig, a scientist at the Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research Institute (SAFAR).
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The air quality might even touch ‘good’ level in the coming days, he added.
There was a dip in the air quality level on June 13 due to dust storms in western India that had pushed the air quality level to ‘severe plus’ in the city.
The maximum temperature on Friday was recorded at 35.6 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal. The minimum was recorded at 27.9 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year.
The Safdarjung observatory recorded 8.4 mm of rainfall. Lodhi Road and Aya Nagar observatory recorded 4.7 mm and 10.4 mm of rainfall respectively.
“The skies will remain cloudy and there is possibility of thundershowers in various areas of the city on Saturday,” said the Meteorological Department.
With PTI inputs