StatesDelhi
Delhi's air slides back to 'poor' a day after rain, with a dry week ahead
The rain-washed air of Friday morning lasted only hours. Anand Vihar was the worst spot on Saturday, and forecasters expect the city to stay in the 'poor' band from Monday.
Key points
- Delhi's AQI climbed to 216 by Saturday morning, from about 100 on Friday afternoon.
- Anand Vihar recorded the worst reading in the city, at 348.
- IITM expects air quality to be 'poor' from 19 October, with no rain forecast.
Delhi’s brief spell of clean air is over. A day after rain and thunderstorms pushed the city’s air quality index down to 86 on Friday morning, it climbed back into the “poor” band by Saturday, and forecasters expect it to stay there as the city heads into a dry week.
Hourly readings showed the index at about 102 on Friday afternoon, before it rose quickly through the evening to 198 by about 11:30 pm. By 10:30 am on Saturday it stood at 216, in the 201 to 300 range that the Central Pollution Control Board classes as poor. It eased to 165 in the afternoon.
Anand Vihar in east Delhi was the worst of the monitoring stations on Saturday, at 348, in the “very poor” range. Mundka recorded 227 and Jahangirpuri 212, while Burari, at 91, and Badarpur, at 51, had the cleanest air.
No rain to clear it
The India Meteorological Department expects partly cloudy skies to give way to mainly clear weather from Sunday, with no rain over the next several days and maximum temperatures rising to 32 to 34 degrees Celsius by 21 and 22 October. Without rain to wash out pollutants, vehicle exhaust, road dust and construction emissions build up.
The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology’s forecast puts Delhi’s air in the “poor” category from 19 October for the rest of its six-day outlook.
For people with breathing problems, the change was felt quickly. “I have increased breathing problems. So, I carry my asthma pump with me all the time,” said Pooja Goyal, 41.