Western Dust Storms Deteriorates Delhi Air Quality; Overall AQI 'Moderate' As Temperature Rises

Delhi including many major cities was starting to see clearer skies, since the lockdown. But the air quality in Delhi has dipped to ‘moderate’ as dust from the western region is blowing.

(Representative Image/ Getty)

New Delhi: Several cities of the country including the national capital started witnessing clearer skies, ever since the lockdown was imposed by Central government to contain the spread of deadly Coronavirus. But the air quality in Delhi has dipped to ‘moderate’ as dust from the western region is blowing. According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), Air Quality Index (AQI) between the range of 51 and 100 is considered as 'satisfactory' or 'very good', 101-200 is 'moderate', 201-300 falls under the category of 'poor'. While 300-400 is considered as 'very poor', levels between 401-500 fall under the 'hazardous' category. Currently, the overall Air Quality of Delhi is 150. According to reports, SAFAR said that the air quality will dip further, due to the mild dust storms which come from the dry arid regions towards the low-poor category. Delhi’s air quality was the cleanest in the last five years in March which due to the high rainfall along with the absence of major emission sources as a result of the coronavirus lockdown, say some reports. Some reports state that an assessment is done by the Centre’s System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), of the lockdown period between March 24 and 31, showed 63% reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx) and 49% reduction in PM2.5 presence in Delhi’s air — as compared to the same period in 2019 and 2018. According to the SAFAR website, the air quality is good enough for healthy people to be out for mild activity but people with respiratory issues must avoid exertions and stay indoors if they experience coughing or shortness of breath. Other reports show that the IMD predicts normal rainfall during monsoon this year, which is great news for the farmers and during the lockdown.