Temperatures drop and air quality crisis in Delhi: Will AQI rise to 'severe' level?
The minimum temperature in Delhi recently dropped to 10.1 degrees Celsius, which is the lowest temperature of this season. At the same time, the Air Quality Index (AQI) remains in the 'very poor' category, due to which both pollution and cold have a deep impact on the capital. Is there a possibility of a drop in air quality and temperature in Delhi? Know in this article.
INDC Network : New Delhi : Temperature drop in Delhi and air quality crisis: Will AQI rise to 'severe' level?
Delhi's lowest temperature and 'very poor' AQI
Delhi recorded the lowest minimum temperature of this season at 10.1 degree Celsius, which was at 9 am on Thursday. Also, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the 'very poor' category. At 9 am, the AQI was 313, slightly lower than Wednesday evening (303).
Delhi has already recorded eight 'severe' days this month, with Delhi's second highest AQI on November 18 with an AQI of 494.
Air quality and weather trends
Deterioration in air quality in Delhi is having a negative impact on health, and has been placed in the 'very poor' category. Earlier, the minimum temperature on November 21 was 10.2 degrees Celsius, which was the lowest temperature ever recorded. Besides, the temperature was recorded as 14 degrees, 11.9 degrees and 10.4 degrees Celsius on November 25, 26 and 27 respectively. Thus, the temperature has dropped in the last few days, which is mainly due to the cold north-westerly winds.
Forecast:
The minimum temperature in Delhi may drop further in the coming days, and it may go below 10 degrees Celsius on Friday. No major improvement is expected in air quality, and according to forecasts given by EWS for Delhi, the AQI will remain in the 'very poor' category till the end of this month.
Also read: Cold knock: Cold will increase in UP, fog alert, know the situation of the coming days
AQI categories and statistics
The Air Quality Index (AQI) in India is divided into different categories, which indicate how hazardous the level of air pollution is. According to CPCB:
| AQI category | measurement | Health effects |
|---|---|---|
| nice | 0-50 | No health effects. |
| satisfactory | 51-100 | May have mild health effects. |
| moderate | 101-200 | May affect health. |
| bad | 201-300 | There may be problems in breathing. |
| too bad | 301-400 | Can have serious health effects. |
| serious | 400+ | Danger to all health. |
Latest AQI Reading:
As per Thursday morning data in Delhi, none of the 39 AQI stations were in the 'severe' category, but Mundka recorded an AQI of 377, the highest in Delhi.
Impact of cold and pollution in Delhi
According to the IMD, the onset of winter has been relatively mild this year, and October's maximum and minimum temperatures have been above normal, making it the warmest October since 1951. Due to this, summer conditions continued even in the beginning of November. However, the temperature is now dropping and there is a possibility of more cold weather in the coming days.
- Both the drop in temperature and the air quality situation in Delhi are a matter of concern at this time. It remains to be seen how much the pollution level and temperature will drop in the coming days and what will be the impact on the capital.
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