According to the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi’s overall AQI was recorded at 301 at 7 am on Friday. The AQI recorded in most of the observation stations was in the “very poor” category.
Delhi residents woke up to a thick blanket of pollution on Friday morning, as the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) breached the 300 mark which falls in the ‘very poor’ category. Data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) confirmed that the national capital is once again grappling with hazardous pollution levels. The spike in pollutant concentration began on Thursday following a severe dust storm that swept through the city, impacting visibility and exacerbating respiratory discomfort among citizens. The storm stirred up massive amounts of particulate matter, pushing AQI readings well into the “very poor” category across multiple monitoring stations.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi’s overall AQI was recorded at 301 at 7 am on Friday. The AQI recorded in most of the observation stations was in the “very poor” category. The AQI at Anant Vihar, Ashok Vihar, and Aya Nagar was recorded at 352, 322 and 333, respectively. Notably, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.
According to the IMD, the sudden wind gusts reaching speeds of 30-40 kmph swept across Palam and adjoining areas, bringing in significant dust from Rajasthan. This caused the unusual deterioration in the air quality in May in the national capital. Meanwhile, a political row erupted over the worsened air quality with AAP attacking the BJP government, saying that its election promises of clean air collapsed in just three months.
According to the IMD, the national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 26.2 degrees Celsius, 0.3 notch below the season’s average. The IMD has forecast thunderstorm with rain on Friday and Saturday. The maximum temperature is expected to settle at 41 degrees Celsius. The relative humidity was 44 per cent at 8.30 am, as per the weather department.
Why is AQI rising in summer?
The India Meteorological Department has linked the sudden weather change to strong, dust-laden winds that swept across the Palam area near IGI Airport between 10:00 pm and 11:30 pm on May 14. These winds sharply reduced visibility from 4,500 metres to just 1,200 metres, with wind speeds reaching 30–40 km/h, spreading dust rapidly throughout the region.
According to the weather department, a significant north-south pressure gradient over northwest India triggered these dust-raising surface winds, which gusted at 30–40 km/h and affected areas across Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and northern Rajasthan from the night of May 14 into the following morning. At Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, visibility dipped to 1,200 metres at intervals during this period, the IMD added.
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