Dust engulfs parts of Delhi, air quality dips to ‘poor’

A thick layer of dust blanketed Delhi on Thursday morning, following overnight dust storms that significantly reduced visibility and triggered a deterioration in air quality across the city. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed the storm to strong winds blowing at speeds between 30 and 40 kmph.

At Indira Gandhi International Airport, visibility plummeted from 4,500 metres to just 1,200 metres between 10 PM and 11:30 PM on Wednesday night, as dust swept through the region.

Since then, weak wind conditions—ranging between 3 and 7 kmph—have persisted, preventing the dispersal of suspended dust particles. As a result, visibility remained poor on Thursday morning, fluctuating between 1,200 and 1,500 metres at both Safdarjung and Palam airports, according to the IMD.

The dust storm has pushed the city’s air quality into the ‘poor’ category, after several weeks of moderate readings. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 236 at 8 AM.

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’.

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The weather department has forecast strong surface winds through the day, which could bring some relief by aiding dust dispersion.

Wednesday also saw the capital sweltering under rising temperatures. The mercury reached a high of 40.2°C, which is 0.7°C above the seasonal average, the IMD reported. Among various monitoring stations, Aya Nagar recorded the highest maximum temperature at 41.6°C, followed by Palam at 40.8°C and the Ridge area at 40.6°C.

The minimum temperature on Wednesday was recorded at 23.3°C—2.1°C below the seasonal norm. Relative humidity levels dipped sharply over the course of the day, from 58 per cent at 8:30 AM to 22 per cent by 5:30 PM.

(With inputs from PTI)