Pre-Diwali air inches towards 'poor' in Delhi, minimum temp drops

NEW DELHI: With Diwali a fortnight away, the city’s air quality has been showing signs of deterioration. The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 139 on Monday, down from 187 a day earlier, but forecasts warn that pollution levels could push the city into the ‘poor’ category in the coming days. Dry conditions, weak winds and rising local emissions are adding to concerns over air quality ahead of the festive season.

Also, the city recorded its lowest minimum temperature of the month so far on Monday, with the mercury settling at 17.1 degrees Celsius, 1.3 degrees Celsius below the season’s average, the Met office said. The IMD also forecast largely dry conditions, with no rainfall expected over the coming week.

The air quality early warning system has forecast that the air quality will remain in the “moderate” category on October 20 before deteriorating to “poor” levels on October 21 and 22. The outlook for the following six days also indicates poor air quality.

Unfavourable meteorological conditions could hamper the dispersal of pollutants, the system noted. A ventilation index below 6,000 square metres per second, coupled with average wind speeds of less than 10 kmph, is considered unfavourable for pollutant dispersion.