Delhi air quality: All 'good' things come to end

NEW DELHI: Delhi's air quality has started deteriorating once again and may, as per forecasts, become 'very poor' by Tuesday. Delhi's overall air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 279 (poor) on Monday against Sunday's 250, with a drop in temperatures and the boundary layer helping pollutants stay closer to the ground.
However, despite adverse weather conditions, good wind speed helped in dispersal of pollutants.Kuldeep Srivastava, a scientist at India Meteorological Department (IMD), said wind speed was 16-18km/hour and touched a maximum of 20 on Monday. A similar wind speed is forecast for Tuesday before it starts to drop.
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"We are seeing low temperatures and this may drop to around 7 degrees Celsius in the next two days. Wind speed is likely to drop below 10km/hour on Wednesday, which may lead to a spike in pollution levels," said Srivastava. A spell of moderate fog on Wednesday, coupled with low wind speed, can be detrimental to air quality, he added. Last week, the early warning system had, in its new 10-day forecast system, showed a spike on December 4, with both PM2.5 and PM10 levels five-seven times the standard.
AQI is likely to touch 'very poor' on both Tuesday and Wednesday, while it may be in the higher end of the category by Thursday, stated SAFAR. It also stated a moderate increase in fire counts had been detected in Punjab and Haryana. "The stubble transport-level winds are north-westerly and favourable for intrusion. PM2.5 % contribution is predicted to touch 10% by December 3," said SAFAR.
The SAFAR data showed Delhi's average PM 2.5 concentration on Monday was at 114 micrograms per cubic metre and would touch 125 on Tuesday and 159 after three days. Similarly, the average PM10 concentration, 177 micrograms per cubic metre on Monday, is likely to touch 194 on Tuesday and 247 after three days.