NEW DELHI: Delhi’s air quality deteriorated to the “very poor” category on Tuesday even as the city recorded light rain towards the afternoon.
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The weather department has speculated formation of dense fog in the next two days over some isolated areas due to a combination of moisture and mercury.
On Tuesday, the city recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 305 as against 285 on Monday and 459 a day before. AQI was better in the morning, but began to fall despite the rain towards the evening due to a sudden spike in moisture levels. According to the pollution monitoring agency, it may oscillate within the “poor” category over the next two days.
Light rain is likely on Wednesday due to a western disturbance, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) stated. From Thursday to Saturday, winds are likely to be low, reducing ventilation of pollutants. From January 2, AQI is likely to improve due to relatively high winds, SAFAR said.
Meanwhile, the weather department warned of intense fog during the morning hours due to high moisture content after the rain. “Also the mercury is low and, from Wednesday, the northern component of winds, which are cool, may arrive. So a combination of temperature and moisture may lead to radiation fog,” said R K Jenamani, senior scientist at India Meteorological Department (IMD). “Expect moderate fog on Wednesday. But there are chances of intense or dense fog on Thursday morning.”
On Tuesday, 3.6mm rainfall was recorded during the afternoon hours that affected the day-time temperatures. The maximum temperature was 18 degrees Celsius as against 22.6 a day before. The minimum temperature was 9.4 degrees as against 10 degrees on Monday.
According to IMD, the maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 20 and 8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
