Reported by Urban Acres
Delhi’s air-quality improvement to an AQI of 191 on Saturday offered residents only a brief reprieve. The city is expected to return to the ‘poor’ category from Sunday through Tuesday, showing how quickly weather conditions can alter pollution levels even when no major change in emissions has been reported. The episode also underlines a recurring urban problem: Delhi’s air is influenced not only by what is emitted within the city, but by how the wider airshed transports, traps and disperses pollution.
The three-day spell of poor air quality ended when the AQI moved into the upper end of the ‘moderate’ category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s 24-hour average bulletin cited in the report, Delhi’s AQI stood at 185 at 9 am and rose to 191 by 4 pm. It was 188 at 8 pm. The improvement followed a shift in wind direction from north-westerly to easterly, along with an increase in wind speed.
