The national capital region of Delhi enjoyed light showers, on Sunday evening. The rain which was highly anticipated by the weather department will help in bringing down the “Severe” turned Air Quality Index (AQI) to some normal levels in the national capital region making the air breathable.

According to Safdarjung Observatory representative data, the city recorded .4 mm of rainfall overall.

While, the weather stations at Palam, Lodhi Road, Ridge, Jafarpur, Najafgarh, and Pusa recorded 1.8 mm, 0.3 mm, 1.2 mm, 1mm, 1mm, and 2.5 mm rainfall respectively. But even after a mute Diwali, the national capital AQI turned severe on the festival’s eve, with a 24-hour average of 339 at pm 2.5. While some areas recorded an AQI of 999.

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said that higher wind speed aided the dispersion of pollutants and the maximum wind speed was around 25 km per hour.

Concerned with the AQI and the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases, National Green Tribunal (NGT) had on Monday imposed a total ban on the sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) from November 9 at midnight to November 30 midnight, saying “celebration by crackers is for happiness and not to celebrate deaths and diseases”.

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Meanwhile, anticipating the increase in pollution levels during the festive season, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Wednesday ordered the closure of hot mix plants and stone crushers in Delhi-NCR till November 17.

According to the IMD officials, the rain was also recorded in Punjab, Haryana, and few parts of Uttar Pradesh, which should help improve air quality.