Haze covers Delhi skies as air quality remains ‘very poor’, minimum temperature settles at 8°C

A layer of smog covered Delhi on Sunday as the Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the ‘very poor’ category as the minimum temperature settled at 8°C.

At 319, though the AQI improved from yesterday’s 336, it continued to remain in the ‘very poor’ category. According to the SAFAR forecast, for the next three days, the upper-level winds are from the northwest direction, which is likely to increase the transport of pollutants from the stubble burning region if fire counts increase.

The AQI is likely to be within ‘very poor’ for the next three days due to the net effect of transport, local emissions, and efficiency of dispersion and ventilation.

Delhi’s air quality was recorded in the ‘very poor’ category on Saturday as the maximum temperature settled at 27 degree Celsius, one notch above the season’s average, according to the India Meteorological Department.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 8.3 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal, it said. 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’.

The weather said the maximum and minimum temperature will settle around 27 and 8 degrees Celsius on Sunday. The humidity will oscillate between 90 per cent to 58 per cent, it said.