Incessant rainfall in Delhi has brought a significant improvement in the city’s air quality, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 179 on Saturday, as per data from the Central Pollution Control Board. This marks a dramatic recovery from earlier in the week when Delhi’s AQI hovered in the ‘severe’ range before improving to ‘poor’ on Friday. The city’s AQI has now reached the ‘moderate’ category, providing much-needed relief to its residents.
The AQI scale measures air quality across six categories: good (0-50), satisfactory (51-100), moderate (101-200), poor (201-300), very poor (301-400), and severe (401-500). The persistent rainfall over the past two days has helped reduce pollutant concentrations in the air, resulting in cleaner and healthier conditions.
According to the India Meteorological Department, Delhi recorded a temperature of 13.8°C at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday. The minimum temperature is expected to drop to 12°C, while the maximum could reach 20.98°C. Relative humidity stands at 74%, accompanied by gusty winds with speeds up to 74 kilometers per hour. The overcast sky and the cool temperatures, combined with the rain, have created a pleasant yet chilly atmosphere. Sunrise was observed at 7:12 a.m., and sunset is expected at 5:32 p.m. Residents across the city were seen lighting bonfires to stay warm amid the chilly conditions.
The relentless rain, however, has caused disruptions in several parts of the city. Heavy downpours and strong winds uprooted trees across various areas. In Sector-9, RK Puram, a portion of a road caved in, causing a motorcycle and a car to fall into the affected area. No injuries were reported, but the incident highlighted the infrastructure challenges posed by extreme weather conditions.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms for Delhi and neighboring areas, including Palam, Safdarjung, Lodi Road, IGI Airport, Mehrauli, Chhattarpur, Ayanagar, Deramandi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida, and Manesar. Light to moderate rainfall is also expected in parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
While the rain has significantly improved air quality and brought cooler temperatures, the city continues to face challenges from the weather’s impact on infrastructure and daily life.
