Delhi’s air quality worsened on Sunday as the Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the ‘poor category’ alongside a significant drop in temperature, intensifying cold conditions across the city. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), mercury dipped once again across the capital on Sunday, falling to 4.9 degree Celsius for the third time this winter season a sharp decline from Saturday’s 9.4 degree Celsius while the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported Delhi’s AQI was recorded at 294, deteriorating from 212 the previous day.
With 15.005 per cent, the transport sector was the key contributor to air pollution, followed by Industries with 8.8 percent. Visuals from areas like Jama Masjid and AIIMS showed individuals braving the cold under thick blankets, trying to rest amidst harsh conditions.
No cold wave conditions prevailed, as per the data, the IMD said. Safdarjung, the representative station for Delhi’s weather, recorded a minimum temperature of 4.9°C on Sunday, which is four degrees below normal for this time of year. Forecasts indicate that Delhi’s minimum temperature is likely to hover around 5°C until Tuesday, maintaining the chill. Aya Nagar recorded 5.2 degree Celsius and Ridge 5.3 degree Celsius.
The minimum temperature recorded at Palam Observatory at 8.30 am today was 6.2 degrees Celsius which is three degrees Celsius below the normal temperature of the season. The drop in temperature in 24 hours is 0.2 degrees Celsius.
The capital’s residents have been shivering since, with Safdarjung observing 4.9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday as well. The maximum temperature recorded 23.2 degree Celsius, 0.2 notches below normal.
The IMD has advised people to wear several layers of loose fitting, light weight; warm woolen clothing. It further advised to cover your head, neck, hands and toes adequately as the most heat loss occurs through these body parts.
The mercury first fell below 5°C for the season on November 11 (4.9°C), marking the earliest drop below this threshold since 1987, when it occurred on December 6. The minimum temperature then dropped to a season low of 4.5°C the following day, which was Delhi’s lowest December minimum in three years. However, temperatures rose afterward, touching 9°C, offering Delhi some respite from the cold. The lowest minimum recorded at Safdarjung in December over the past decade was 2.4°C, on December 28, 2019. The all-time low for December is 0°C, recorded on December 27, 1930.
The IMD has issued warnings of ‘cold wave to severe cold wave’ conditions across parts of North India, including Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. According to the IMD, a cold wave is officially declared in the plains when the minimum temperature falls to 4 degrees Celsius or below, or when it registers a drop of 4.5 to 6.4 degrees from normal. With temperatures hovering around these thresholds, the capital has seen biting cold mornings, forcing residents to bundle up against the chill.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality deteriorated back to the ‘poor’ category on Sunday. In several areas of the city, AQI readings approached the ‘very poor’ category. Anand Vihar, Alipur, Bawana, and Burari Crossing recorded AQIs of 292, 256, 298, and 288, respectively. Similarly, Dwarka Sector 8 (258), Nehru Nagar (299), Rohini (288), and Mundka (317) reported high pollution levels.
Delhi recorded the highest number of ‘good’ to ‘moderate’ air quality days in 2024 since the past six years, data shared by monitoring agencies said. According to the data, a total of 207 days saw ‘good’ to ‘moderate’ air quality, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) remaining below 200. The month of December recorded six ‘moderate’ air quality days so far - surpassing the previous records since 2018. The data showed that so far, December witnessed a total of eight ‘poor’ to ‘severe’ air quality days.
