Rainfall in Delhi-NCR Leads to Improvement in Air Quality

New Delhi, Jan 12 (NationPress) On Saturday evening, Delhi and its surrounding areas experienced light rainfall, resulting in an improvement of the air quality to the 'poor' category by Sunday morning. This also offered some respite from the thick fog that had been covering parts of the national capital region for several days.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 7.7 degrees Celsius on Saturday, with a maximum temperature of 17 degrees Celsius, which is three degrees below the seasonal average.

The heavy fog on Saturday caused delays for at least 45 trains.

Cold wave conditions persist in other regions of north India, including Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, where temperatures have dropped below freezing.

Along with Delhi, neighboring cities like Ghaziabad and Noida also received rainfall on Saturday evening.

The IMD has forecasted a generally cloudy sky with light rain expected on Sunday.

On Saturday, parts of Delhi-NCR were greeted with dense fog, causing delays for 45 trains, although flight operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) remained mostly unaffected.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi, which had been fluctuating between 'severe' and 'very poor' for several days, improved to the 'poor' category on Sunday morning.

According to the central government's Sameer app, Delhi's overall AQI was recorded at 285 around 5 a.m. on Sunday.

An AQI reading between 0 and 50 is classified as "good," 51-100 as "satisfactory," 101-200 as "moderate," 201-300 as "poor," 301-400 as "very poor," and 401-500 as "severe."

The cold wave continues in Himachal Pradesh, where local meteorological reports predict moderate rain in low-lying areas and snow in isolated regions of the middle and high hills, including Shimla and Manali, on Saturday and Sunday.

A fresh western disturbance is expected to impact northwest India from the night of January 14, 2025, as reported by the meteorological department, with light rain and snow anticipated in isolated areas of the middle and high hills on Thursday and Friday.

Regarding pollution control measures in the national capital, GRAP I, II, and III are currently in effect.

In compliance with a prior Supreme Court order, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) enacted actions under Stage III of GRAP on Thursday.

The air quality panel from the central government stated, "The AQI in Delhi was noted at 297 on January 8, 2025, showing a sharp upward trend to 357 at 4 p.m. on January 9 due to calm winds and foggy conditions."

The CAQM added, "The Sub Committee on GRAP has decided to implement all actions under Stage III ('Severe' Air Quality of Delhi) of the revised GRAP schedule immediately by all relevant agencies in Delhi-NCR, in addition to the actions already in place under Stage I and II."

Furthermore, they urged all agencies to maintain vigilant oversight and intensify measures outlined in the revised GRAP schedule to prevent further deterioration of AQI levels. The sub-committee assured that it is continuously monitoring the situation and will review it periodically for further decisions based on the air quality in Delhi and forecasts provided by the IMD/IITM.