On Saturday the overall AQI of Delhi stood at 132, while that of Noida at 110 and Gurugram at 156. This is the best air quality in Delhi since Oct 26.
Delhi's air quality improves to 'moderate' from the 'poor' category with Air Quality Index (AQI) standing at 132, as per SAFAR India. The AQI in the national capital witnessed a considerable improvement in months on Saturday with overall AQI at 132, while that of Noida was recorded at AQI 110 and Gurugram at AQI 156.
This comes as Delhi and its adjoining areas witnessed heavy rainfall with thunderstorms in the early hours of the day. This is the best air quality in Delhi since October 26 last year, when it was recorded at 139. Earlier, Delhi reported its best air quality on Friday in over two months with the city's 24-hour air quality index (AQI) at 182.
On Thursday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi stood at 258. An AQI between zero 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'.
This is particularly a good news for the national capital which has been witnessing very poor air quality since the start of the smog season followed by festivals like Diwali and winter season when the AQI remained mostly above the 300 mark.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitor, SAFAR, said the AQI improved to the 'moderate' category due to the rains. More rain and stronger winds on Saturday will further improve the air quality to the 'satisfactory' category or the 'good' category, the agency predicted.
The weather department predicted a cloudy sky for Delhi till January 9. This means the air quality in Delhi is likely to remain in the moderate category for the next few days. An extended monsoon season and record-breaking rainfall gave Delhi its best air quality in October in four years.
However, the air pollution in November was the worst in the month since 2015. The Delhi government had to deploy 114 water tankers to sprinkle water across the city and settle the dust, which is one of the major contributors to air pollution. The move came as the national capital's Air Quality Index (AQI) went into the 'severe' category following Diwali.
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 "Delhi AQI improved significantly to moderate category SAFAR")
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