Delhi sees ‘best’ air quality as rains bring relief from sultry heat

Delhiites breathed a sigh of relief as rains and cool winds brought mercury down, leading to a five-degree drop in temperatures, with the maximum temperature settling at 28.3 degrees Celsius. This weather shift also resulted in Delhi experiencing its best air quality of the year.

According to the Commission For Air Quality Management (CAQM), Delhi achieved its best air quality on Sunday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 45, falling into the ‘good’ category. The AQI scale categorizes values as follows: 0-50 ‘good,’ 51-100 ‘satisfactory,’ 101-200 ‘moderate,’ 201-300 ‘poor,’ 301-400 ‘very poor,’ and 401-500 ‘severe.’

CAQM stated, “Delhi today registered its best air quality of the current year with an average AQI of 45 (‘Good’ AQI category). Earlier, during this year, Delhi has recorded Air Quality Index of 54 and 59 (‘Satisfactory’) on 9th September and 29th July respectively.”

The minimum temperature for the day was recorded at 23.5 degrees Celsius, which is two notches below the season’s average.

Rainfall was reported in various parts of the city, with the Safdarjung Observatory recording 1.3 mm of rainfall between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm. Other observatories in Palam, Lodhi Road, Ayanagar, Narela, and Gurgaon also reported varying amounts of rainfall during the same period.

Humidity levels fluctuated between 86 percent and 100 percent.

Due to the rainfall, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi received reports of waterlogging at five locations and 16 reports of fallen trees. The public works department also received reports of waterlogging in areas like Mundka and Narela.

The New Delhi Municipal Council’s (NDMC) Disaster Management Centre received 70 complaints in the past two days, mainly related to minor waterlogging, fallen tree leaves, and malfunctioning road lights. Officials promptly resolved 19 cases of waterlogging at crucial locations and employed manual efforts and super-sopper machines to remove accumulated water. Additionally, water stagnation in potted plants at prominent areas was addressed.

The G20 Summit venue and most of the hotels where delegates stayed fall under the NDMC’s jurisdiction.

For Monday, the weather forecast anticipates generally cloudy skies with the possibility of very light rain or drizzle in a few places. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to be 32 and 24 degrees Celsius, respectively. The air quality is projected to remain in the ‘satisfactory’ category from Monday to Wednesday.

In a statement earlier in the day, Raj Niwas officials expressed gratitude to the “rain gods” for their role in making the stay of visiting dignitaries for the G20 Summit more comfortable by reducing temperatures and improving the Air Quality Index.