New Delhi, Jan 24 (IANS) After several days of dense smog and hazardous pollution levels, Delhi-NCR saw a noticeable improvement in air quality on Saturday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) slipping to the ‘poor’ category at 264. The improvement followed the season’s first spell of rain on Friday, which brought much-needed respite from persistently high pollution levels across the region.

As per data released by the Central Pollution Control Board, the average AQI recorded at 7 a.m. stood at 264. During the morning hours, air quality remained in the ‘poor’ category at 29 monitoring stations, while four stations each recorded ‘very poor’ and ‘moderate’ air quality.

Several locations continued to hover near the ‘very poor’ mark, with AQI readings at Anand Vihar at 300, Chandni Chowk at 313, Wazirpur at 305, Dwarka Sector-8 at 296, Okhla Phase 2 at 292 and Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range at 294.

In contrast, some areas showed a marked improvement compared to the previous days. NSIT recorded an AQI of 113, while Lodhi Road and Shadipur registered 173 and 187, respectively, reflecting relatively cleaner air.

According to CPCB standards, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has predicted a generally cloudy sky for the national Capital, with shallow to moderate fog likely during the morning hours.

Minimum and maximum temperatures are expected to hover around 7 degrees Celsius and 16 degrees Celsius, respectively.

“The maximum and minimum temperatures in Delhi are likely to be in the ranges of 16 degrees Celsius to 18 degrees Celsius and 06 degrees Celsius to 08 degrees Celsius, respectively. The minimum temperature will be near normal, and the maximum temperatures will be below normal (2.3 to 4.3 degrees Celsius) over Delhi,” the IMD said in its release.

Earlier on Friday, the national Capital recorded its first rainfall of the year and also witnessed the highest January rainfall in two years, resulting in a sharp fall in temperatures and temporary relief from elevated pollution levels.

The IMD noted that the previous highest rainfall in January was recorded on January 30, 2023, when the city received 20.4 mm of rain.

The weather office attributed the rainfall to the impact of a western disturbance over northwest India, which brought rain, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds to the region for a few hours.

Rainfall between 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. on Friday was widespread and significant, with the Ridge area recording the highest at 17.4 mm, followed by Palam at 14.0 mm, Lodi Road at 13.4 mm, Safdarjung at 13.2 mm and Ayanagar at 11.5 mm.

The IMD said rainfall activity was mainly concentrated during the morning and early afternoon hours, with little to no precipitation later in the day across Delhi-NCR.

–IANS

sd/rad