The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) said strong boundary-layer and surface winds worked behind flushing out the pollutants that had accumulated in the air in Delhi.
An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered "poor", 301-400 "very poor" and 401-500 severe". On Saturday, Delhi's AQI was recorded at 357, which falls in the "very poor" category.
Mahesh Talawat, vice president of Sky Met weather, said strong winds due to western disturbance has helped dispersed pollutants in Delhi-NCR and other parts of north India.
"The air quality is expected to remain in 'moderate' to 'poor' category in the next two days," he said.
The odd-even scheme in the national capital will not be extended, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Monday. He added that the air quality in the city had "improved substantially" so there is no need to extend the road rationing scheme. Read more
The air quality in Delhi improved marginally on Monday but remained in the "poor" category for the second consecutive day. At 9 am on Monday, the air quality index (AQI) in the national capital stood at 207 against an AQI of 254 at the same time on Sunday. However, there was a respite on late Sunday evening as the AQI dropped to 198, which falls under the "moderate" category. Gurgaon on Monday recorded an AQI of 138 (moderate), while Ghaziabad 231, Noida 212 and Greater Noida 204. An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered "poor", 301-400 "very poor" and 401-500 "severe". Experts said strong winds due to western disturbance has helped dispersed pollutants in Delhi-NCR and other parts of north India. (PTI)
monthly limit of free stories.
with an Express account.
Addressing a session on environmental laws at the Global Law Conference held in Chandigarh University, Justice Anand Mohan, a judge in the Supreme Court of Nepal, said the rising pollution levels in New Delhi had led to concerns about whether “the polluted toxic air will flow to Nepal and particularly Kathmandu”. He further said, “The threat was diffused when the department of meteorology stated that the mountains should prevent it, but others of different opinion said, it actually depends on the direction that the winds take and their intensity.” Read more
On Friday, the National Green Tribunal had passed an order in Utkarsha Panwar versus Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) that 7,000 brick kilns, including those with new zig-zag technology, in the NCR must be closed till the end of February 2020, or till the level of pollution comes down. The CPCB was asked to submit a scientific report about the impact of kilns by December 15. How do brick kilns play a role in increasing pollution? Anju Agnihotri Chaba explains.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday warned of heavy rainfall over isolated areas in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal. According to the IMD warning, the heavy rainfall might continue till Thursday.
Strong winds coupled with a clear sky and ample sunlight improved Delhi's air quality on Sunday from 'very poor' a day earlier. IMD officials said winds as strong as 36 km/hr were recorded in the city Sunday, which dispersed pollutants. The 24-hour AQI of Delhi Sunday was 215 (poor). Gurgaon had the lowest AQI of 136 (moderate), Ghaziabad recorded 218 and Noida 203. Read more
Comparing 12 days before the odd-even scheme and during the odd-even scheme, Delhi saw a higher dip in the air quality index (AQI)than NCR regions.
The third edition of the Delhi government’s odd-even scheme ended on Friday — the same day the Supreme Court sought to know how effective it really is. Mallica Joshi looks at data from Delhi and NCR cities to understand whether the initiative managed to help bring down air pollution. Read more
The air quality in Delhi-NCR is expected to remain between "moderate" to "poor" categories for the next two days, thanks to strong boundary-layer and surface winds.