According to the central government’s air quality panel CAQM (Commission for Air Quality Management), Delhi breathed the cleanest air on any day in the last six years between January 1 and August 8. The national capital recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 53 on Thursday, which falls in the satisfactory category.
This improvement in air quality comes at a time when Delhi has been receiving heavy rainfall for the last few days during this monsoon season.
In a tweet, the CAQM said the city recorded its cleanest AQI for any day between January 1 and August 8 during the period 2018 to 2024. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the AQI reading at 4 pm was 53.
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.
Parts of Delhi received light rain on Thursday, bringing some relief to people from the humid weather. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum temperature was recorded at 34.1 degrees Celsius, which is normal for this season.
The IMD said the minimum temperature was recorded at 25.4 degrees Celsius, 1.5 degrees below normal.
Traffic was affected in many areas due to waterlogging and uprooted trees. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) received 18 complaints related to waterlogging and 16 complaints related to uprooted trees.
The weatherman has predicted generally cloudy skies with light rain on Friday with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be 34 and 26 degrees Celsius respectively.
Delhi recorded 554.6 mm of rainfall between June 1 and August 1, with two extreme weather events contributing significantly: 228.1 mm on June 28 and 107.6 mm on August 1.
On June 28, the day the monsoon hit Delhi, the national capital recorded 228.1 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, the second-highest in June in 88 years.
The highest rainfall recorded in 24 hours during June at Safdarjung, the city’s primary observatory, was 235.5 mm on 28 June 1936.
On July 31, the national capital received 108 mm of rain in 24 hours, breaking the record for the highest single-day rainfall in July in 14 years.
Mahesh Palawat, Vice President, Meteorology and Climate Change, Skymet, said that the previous record of the highest rainfall in 24 hours in July was recorded in 2010. Earlier, the record of 184 mm rainfall in 24 hours was on 2 July 1961.
(With inputs from PTI)