New Delhi: Delhiites woke up to a cool and breezy Tuesday morning in the national capital following light rain in the past 24 hours, making the weather pleasant after a long spell of intense heatwaves. With the respite in the weather, the showers also brought relief to the air quality of the city as it helped wash away pollutants. The current air quality index (AQI) of Delhi, according to Central Pollution Control Board’s Sameer app, is 96 which is considered as ‘satisfactory’, which was earlier ranging between ‘moderate’ and ‘poor’ amidst the heatwaves.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board guidelines, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.
Also Read: Air Pollution Crisis: Does India Have Enough Air Quality Monitoring Stations?
When it comes to the other parts of the national capital region (NCR), Ghaziabad’s AQI stands at 82, Greater Noida is at 95, Gurugram is experiencing an AQI of 129, Faridabad is at 110 and Noida stands at 134.
The improvement in the air quality, as confirmed by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is due to the rains. The department further noted that in the past 24 hours, Delhi saw a rainfall of 10.6 mm, which also brought down the temperature to 20.6 degrees Celsius. The air quality index is likely to hover between ‘satisfactory’ and ‘moderate’ through the week as the coming days are expected to be partly cloudy and gusty winds are expected at a speed of 30-40 kmph.
The weather is being credited a western disturbance over Pakistan and effects of cyclone Vayu, which is bringing moisture laden winds to north India, an IMD official told IANS.
Also Read: Can Artificial Rain Help Curb Air Pollution In Delhi?
Northern states such as Punjab and Haryana also observed an improvement in the air quality following instances of light rains. The AQI in Patiala was recorded at 58, Panchkula at 64, Sonipat at 73, Ambala is at 73, Bhatinda at 92 and Hisar is at 89.
The Dire Issue Of Air Pollution In India
According to a study by Greenpeace, 15 out of the top 20 polluted cities in the world are in India. The report also states that Gurugram is the most polluted city in the world while Delhi is the most polluted capital city in the world. The US-based Health Effects Institute report revealed that around 1.2 million people were killed in India in 2017 due to air pollution.
With inputs from IANS.
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.
