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Relief from pollution as rain lashes Capital, NCR

Pollution levels went down drastically from 366 units (very poor) to 219 (poor)

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Vehicles ply at Rajpath during rains on Monday
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After rain lashed the city at 21.7 degrees Celsius, Delhiites finally felt the winter chill for the first time on Tuesday. It was the first coldest day in December with the maximum temperature going down, said officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The rain that continued through Monday night also brought down temperatures in Delhi-NCR.

The Capital could breathe better on Tuesday, as Monday's rainfall brought the air quality index (AQI) down considerably from 366 units (very poor) to 219 (poor). According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality is set to improve further with the cold north-westerly winds in the coming days.

The AQI also came down significantly in NCR towns of Ghaziabad and Noida, which had continuously remained in the 'severe' category with the AQI shooting past 400. While Gurgaon which was in 'very poor' category improved to 'moderate' at 192 units.

The AQI units are measured against PM 2.5 — - the most prominent pollutant in Delhi -NCR (measured in microgram per cubic meters).

The AQI recorded at Ghaziabad improved from 'severe' to 'poor' at 290 units while Noida too came down to 'poor' at 224 units.

"The rain is likely to continue on Tuesday and will help washing down of pollutants hanging in the air. The cold wave from the northern region is to set in from 15-16 December, which will bring in clean air and help improve air quality further," said a MET department official.

After brief respite on December 6 and 7 which was tagged as 'good air days' in the month, pollution levels had spiked again on Friday with the AQI shooting up to 390 units.

The permissible standards for PM 2.5 — most prominent pollutant in the city — are 60 units (measured in microgram per cubic meters). Last week, the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) had asked the Lieutenant Governor in a meeting to tell Delhi government to start patrolling of small industrial units using cheap fuels leading to pollution.

AIR QUALITY 

  • Delhi: 219 (poor)
     
  • Ghaziabad: 290 (poor)
     
  • Noida: 224 (poor)
     
  • Gurgaon: 192 (moderate) 
     
  • Faridabad: 229 (poor) 
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