Delhi’s AQI improves to ‘satisfactory’ after Dussehra celebrations due to rain and winds

A combination of rainfall and steady winds helped Delhi avoid a sharp rise in pollution levels following Dussehra celebrations on Thursday, with the city recording improved air quality on Friday.

The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) settled at 88, placing it in the “satisfactory” category, breaking a 21-day streak of moderate or higher AQI readings.

A similar weather pattern in 2022 had led to the AQI improving from 211 on Dussehra day to 79 the following day.

Trends show that post-Dussehra pollution spikes have been common. Last year, the AQI jumped from 155 on Dussehra to 224 the next day, while in 2023 it rose from 220 to 243.

The city recorded its worst post-Dussehra AQI in recent years on October 26, 2020, when it touched 353, classified as “very poor”.

According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 to 100 “satisfactory”, 101 to 200 “moderate”, 201 to 300 “poor”, 301 to 400 “very poor”, and 401 to 500 “severe”.

Meteorologists said rainfall in the morning, scattered evening showers, and consistent winds of around 15 km/h prevented pollutants from accumulating.

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“Winter is yet to set in, and these conditions helped disperse pollutants. Without rain and winds, PM levels would have been higher,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet Meteorology.

Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) data showed temporary increases in PM 2.5 levels at key monitoring stations on Thursday evening.

At Anand Vihar, for example, PM 2.5 climbed from 68 µg/m³ at 8 pm to 96 µg/m³ at 9 pm, before dropping to 41 µg/m³ by 11 pm.

Similar trends were observed at Punjabi Bagh, RK Puram, and Ashok Vihar, where peaks ranged between 88 and 141 µg/m³. Experts noted that while these were higher than the safe one-hour standard of 60 µg/m³, they were far below Diwali spikes, which can exceed safe limits by over 30 times.

Meanwhile, Delhi experienced partially cloudy skies on Friday, with no rainfall recorded.

The city recorded a maximum temperature of 33.5 degrees Celsius, slightly below normal, while the minimum settled at 23.7 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a strong western disturbance over northwest India from October 4 to 8, with light showers expected in the capital on October 5, and light to moderate rain likely on October 6 and 7.

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For Saturday, the weather office has forecast a partly cloudy sky. The minimum temperature is likely to be around 25 degrees Celsius and the maximum around 35 degrees Celsius.