Delhi’s air cleanest since 2018 — but that may change soon

However, no ‘good’ air days were recorded.

Since June 26, Delhi has largely seen ‘satisfactory’ air quality days, with only two ‘moderate’ days in July. The trend shifted in August, which logged eight ‘moderate’ days, followed by seven such days so far in September.

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board indicates that Delhi is witnessing its longest continuous spell of ‘moderate’ air days this season. The air quality slipped into the ‘moderate’ category on September 12 and has stayed there for six days in a row. Wednesday’s AQI was 114, in the moderate category.

The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the early warning system for AQI, forecast more ‘moderate’ category days ahead. “The air quality is likely to be in the ‘satisfactory’ category on September 19… It is likely to be in the ‘moderate’ category on September 20. The outlook for the subsequent six days… the air quality is likely to be in the ‘moderate’ category,” it said on Wednesday.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the monsoon began retreating from the Western parts of Rajasthan on Sunday — three days ahead of schedule, on September 17. As of Wednesday morning, the Southwest monsoon has retreated from parts of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, including cities such as Bathinda, Fatehabad, Pilani, Ajmer, Deesa, and Bhuj.

The day, however, saw heavy rain lashing Delhi-NCR in the evening. According to IMD, till 5.30 pm, Safdarjung station logged 45.2 mm of rainfall, followed by Lodi Road (25.6 mm), Mayur Vihar (17 mm) and Ridge (4.2 mm).

Earlier in the day, IMD forecast for Northwest India had spoken about light to moderate rain or thunderstorms at some or isolated places.

The highest single-day rainfall recorded for September last year was 56.5 mm. The figure was much lower in 2023 at 38.6 mm.

In the coming days, a cloud cover is expected in Delhi. Partly cloudy skies are forecast up to Saturday (September 20), after which the IMD has said there is a possibility of mainly clear skies.

The normal date of monsoon withdrawal in Delhi is around September 25. Since 2010, the earliest retreat was in 2012, also on September 25. Earlier, the normal withdrawal date — based on data from 1901 to 1940 — was September 22. This was revised in 2020 to the current date of September 25.

In recent years, the monsoon has mostly withdrawn later than usual. It retreated on October 2 in 2024 after a season of 63% excess rainfall, on September 30 in 2023 and 2020, on September 29 in 2022, and as late as October 8 in 2021.

Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet Weather, said, “There are chances of very light rain over Delhi and NCR on the evening of September 18 or early morning of September 19. Monsoon withdrawal from Delhi seems to be before time between September 20 and 21.” If that were to be the case, he said, it would be the earliest withdrawal from Delhi after 2012.

The IMD considers three key indicators while declaring the withdrawal of the Southwest monsoon: cessation of rainfall over a region for five consecutive days, the establishment of an anticyclone in the lower atmosphere, and a marked reduction in moisture levels as seen in satellite images.

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