No respite from pollution in Delhi as AQI remains ‘very poor’

The air quality in Delhi is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category on December 4 and 5 going by a forecast issued by the Air Quality Early Warning System on Friday morning. (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)

The 24-hour average AQI for the city stood at 429 on Thursday, in the ‘severe’ category. Neighbouring NCR towns Faridabad (289) and Greater Noida (250) recorded 'poor' air quality on Friday morning. The AQIs in Ghaziabad (331), Gurgaon (309) and Noida (315) were in the 'very poor' category. (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)

Wind speed might pick up on Sunday, December 5, and rainfall is a possibility on December 6. Both these factors can help disperse pollutants, the forecast indicated. (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)

The minimum temperature on Friday is likely to be 13 degrees Celsius, while the maximum is likely to settle at 22 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD forecast. Over the next six days, the minimum temperature could range from 9 degrees Celsius to 13 degrees Celsius. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)

Realising the "urgent" need to prevent air quality from further deterioration, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Friday constituted task forces for each of the National Capital Region (NCR) states – Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)