New Delhi, Jan 31 (IANS) The air quality in the national Capital remained in the ‘poor’ category on Saturday morning, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 271 around 7 a.m., according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Meanwhile, Delhi is likely to receive very light to light rainfall on January 31, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘Yellow alert’ for the city.

As per CPCB data, several monitoring stations across Delhi reported ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ air quality levels. Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 331, Bawana 262, Burari Crossing 251, Chandni Chowk 287, IGI Airport 242, IIT Delhi 259, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium 309, Jahangirpuri 310, Mundka 332, North Campus 237, Patparganj 301, Pusa 294, RK Puram 327, Sonia Vihar 268, and Wazirpur 332.

Air quality levels in the neighbouring areas of Noida also remained concerning. Sector 125 recorded an AQI of 323, Sector 62 stood at 185, Sector 1 at 305, and Sector 116 reported an AQI of 322.

According to the AQI classification, readings between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.

The IMD has forecast very light to light rainfall over Delhi during the day. As the day progresses, thunderstorms are likely to develop in the evening, accompanied by lightning, strong surface winds, and light rainfall. Similar weather conditions may continue during the night.

The weather department has predicted a maximum temperature of around 21 degrees Celsius for the city, while the minimum temperature is expected to hover around 7 degrees Celsius. On Friday morning, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 7.7 degrees Celsius, with air quality remaining in the poor category.

The IMD has also warned that the rainy spell may extend into the next week. From January 31 to February 2, very light to light rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds with speeds of 30–40 kmph is likely. A partly cloudy sky is expected on February 4 and 5, while shallow to moderate fog may persist during morning hours over the next six days.

Dense fog conditions are expected over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and East Rajasthan during the same period.

The city’s average AQI on Friday stood at 238, which also falls under the ‘poor’ category, according to CPCB data.

–IANS

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