Delhi’s air quality on Monday slipped back to the ‘very poor’ category after briefly breaking a 24-day streak of ‘very poor’ air on Sunday, when the city’s AQI improved to 279.
At 4 pm on Monday, the 24-hour rolling average air quality index (AQI) for Delhi stood at 304, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
As per the CPCB classification, air quality readings between 300 and 400 fall under the ‘very poor’ category, which causes respiratory illness on prolonged exposure.
Experts attributed the surge in pollutant levels to meteorological factors, including calmer winds and low temperatures.
The city recorded a significant dip in the mercury levels, with a minimum for Delhi’s base station dropping to 5.7 degrees Celsius, departing 4.6 notches from the normal, according to the India Meteorological Department. The maximum temperatures for the city climbed by 1.8 points and settled at 26.1 degrees Celsius.
According to IMD, the wind speeds in Delhi gusted up to 8 kmph over the past 24 hours, unlike Saturday’s speeds of 10-15 kmph throughout the day that prevented stagnation of pollutants at night. Data from the weather department forecast calmer winds over the city for the next few days and predicted the city’s air quality to remain ‘very poor’ until Thursday.