The overall air quality improved in Delhi and surrounding regions after light showers on Friday. The Delhi air which remained in the 'severe' category for over a week is currently in the 'poor' category after rains washed away the toxic haze, just ahead of Diwali.
According to reports, the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Saturday in Anand Vihar, RK Puram, Punjabi Bagh, and ITO was recorded at 282, 220, 236, and 263, respectively. Several air quality monitoring stations across the NCR also registered a substantial improvement in AQI since Friday morning.
The particulate matter levels had also dropped after light showers. Concerns about the deteriorating air quality, however, persist due to the festive period that is likely to witness bursting of fire crackers, despite a Supreme Court ban.
The Delhi government has put in place stringent measures to tackle air pollution as residents struggled to breathe. Measures according to the graded action-response plan (GRAP) have been implemented in the Delhi-NCR region. These include ban on construction activities and entry of trucks into Delhi. The AAP government, however on Friday, deferred its decision to implement the odd-even car scheme that was supposed to begin on November 13. The decision came a day after the SC questioned the effectiveness of the scheme and termed it “mere optics”.
Delhi Environment minister Vinod Rai said on Friday the government will analyse the situation after Diwali. Rai said that the air was cleaner after light rains and the AQI which was over 450 has reached around 300.
The meteorological department has predicted more rains, caused by an active Western disturbance, over the next few days. “We are expecting rains in Punjab, Haryana, North Rajasthan and parts of UP. We expect clear skies from tomorrow and cold winds will start in the plains of North Western India due to snowfall in the hilly areas,” IMD scientist Soma Sen Roy told ANI.