New Delhi, Oct 27 (PTI) A chilly morning greeted Delhiites on Tuesday as the capital recorded its coldest October morning in three years, with the minimum temperature settling at 15.3 degrees Celsius, while the city’s air quality edged closer to the ‘poor’ category, with the AQI reaching 197 at 4 pm.
The minimum temperature at the Safdarjung weather station was 1.9 degrees below normal.
The city last recorded a lower minimum temperature on October 27, 2023, when it settled at 15.2 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature at Safdarjung also fell by 0.9 degrees over the past 24 hours.
According to the India Meteorological Department, the maximum temperature at Safdarjung was 31.5 degrees Celsius, 0.3 degrees below normal.
Delhi’s air quality stood in the ‘moderate’ category, with the 24-hour average AQI recorded at 197 at 4 pm on Tuesday, nearing the ‘poor’ mark. The AQI later deteriorated to the ‘poor’ category, reaching 218 by 7 pm.
The city recorded an AQI of 174 on Monday and 153 on Sunday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
According to CPCB standards, an AQI of zero to 50 is classified as ‘good’, 51 to 100 as ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 as ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 as ‘poor’, 301 to 400 as ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 as ‘severe’.
Of the 55 air quality monitoring stations in the city, 27 recorded ‘poor’ air quality, while Ghogha recorded satisfactory air quality. The remaining stations recorded ‘moderate’ air quality. Jahangirpuri recorded the highest AQI at 280.
Among weather stations, Palam recorded a maximum temperature of 29.9 degrees Celsius, 2.2 degrees below normal, while its minimum temperature settled at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees below normal.
Lodi Road recorded a maximum temperature of 31.2 degrees Celsius, 0.8 degrees below normal, and a minimum of 15.6 degrees Celsius, 0.4 degrees below normal.
The Ridge recorded a maximum temperature of 31 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees below normal, and a minimum of 16.2 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees below normal.
Ayanagar recorded a maximum temperature of 30.8 degrees Celsius, 1.5 degrees below normal, while the minimum settled at 15.2 degrees Celsius, 2 degrees below normal.
According to the Decision Support System for Air Quality Management in Delhi, transport was the largest contributor to the city’s pollution at 21.3 per cent, followed by residential sources at 5.4 per cent and industries in Delhi and its periphery at 4.8 per cent.
Construction contributed 3 per cent, energy sources 2.1 per cent, waste burning 2 per cent, road dust 1.5 per cent and other sectors 1.4 per cent, the data showed.
Among neighbouring NCR districts, Sonipat was the largest contributor at 7.7 per cent, followed by Panipat at 5.7 per cent, Baghpat at 3.6 per cent, and Muzaffarnagar and Jhajjar at 3.3 per cent each. Karnal and Ghaziabad contributed 2.2 per cent each, Gurugram 1.3 per cent and Gautam Buddh Nagar 0.8 per cent.
Stubble burning contributed 1.5 per cent to Delhi’s pollution, while other sources accounted for 23.3 per cent, according to the Decision Support System.
The Air Quality Early Warning System said the city’s air quality was likely to remain in the ‘moderate’ category on Tuesday before deteriorating to the ‘poor’ category on Wednesday. It is expected to improve to the ‘mode rate’ category on October 29 and 30, while the outlook for the subsequent six days indicates that the AQI is likely to remain in the ‘moderate’ to ‘poor’ category.
A ventilation index below 6,000 square metres per second, coupled with average wind speeds of less than 10 kmph, was unfavourable for the dispersion of pollutants, it added.
Satellites detected 203 farm fire incidents across six states yesterday, according to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. These included 103 incidents in Punjab, 49 in Rajasthan, 20 in Uttar Pradesh, 18 in Madhya Pradesh, 11 in Uttarakhand and two in Haryana. No incidents were detected in Delhi.
A total of 2,138 farm fire incidents were detected across the six states between September 15 and October 26, including 684 in Punjab, 487 in Rajasthan, 306 in Uttar Pradesh, 486 in Madhya Pradesh, 21 in Haryana, two in Delhi and 152 in Uttarakhand, the data showed.
The weather office forecast a mainly clear sky becoming partly cloudy towards afternoon or evening for tomorrow, with the minimum and maximum temperatures settling at 16 and 30 Degrees Celsius. It also forecast thunderstorms with rain on October 29 and 30. PTI SGV SGV MPL
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