Wind picks up pace, sweeps away dust

The pollution level in the Capital dropped a bit on Sunday, after the wind speed and weather conditions turned to favourable. The wind speed picked up pace at 12 kmph, leading to cleaning up of layers of air.

Besides emission levels, weather conditions and wind speed are deciding factors for pollution levels in the Capital, which is why air quality worsens during winters.

The MET department also stated that the city experienced an unusually warm day, with maximum temperature recorded at 36.5 degrees Celsius, five degrees above the season's average.

"A warm day and strong winds helped pollutants in the air to get dispersed. The weather conditions are expected to remain favaourable over the coming two days, which will help improve air quality in the Capital," a senior official said.

The horizontal wind speed before Diwali was 0.3m/s, while there were no vertical winds or no upward movement in the air. So, the pollutants did not get dispersed and kept hanging in the air, leading to a thick layer of pollution.

"The weakening of depression, which had formed over the Bay of Bengal, and its gradual shift towards Assam helped create the passage. This, coupled with strong winds, cleaned the air considerably," a senior Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) official said.