Delhiites breathe cleanest air of the year so far as AQI reaches 42

For the first time this year, the National Capital on Saturday witnessed the cleanest air quality of the year so far with the overall AQI at 42, which falls under the ''good'' category.

As per the government-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR), the air quality index (AQI) of Delhi has majorly improved due to the rainfall since Wednesday.  Informing about the AQI in Delhi, SAFAR stated that the overall Delhi AQI is in the ''good'' category on Saturday morning. SAFAR also stated that the good AQI is a result of the influence of western disturbance, rainfall observed over many places in the region. 

READ | Delhi receives heavy rains, highest in 24 hr in March since 2015

IMD predicts rainfall for Delhi on Saturday

The Weather forecast office has stated that the national capital is very likely to witness rainfall on Saturday as well. The Indian Meteorological Department stated that the cloud will remain cloudy and drizzles are expected throughout the day.

The minimum temperature on Saturday was recorded at 12.8 degrees Celsius, a notch below the normal, while the maximum will remain 25 degrees Celsius. The region has so far witnessed 30.1 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours till 8.30 am.

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Rains lashed the national capital all through the day on Friday, the highest for the city in 24 hours in March since 2015. It affected traffic movement as visibility dropped considerably in the afternoon due to dense clouds. The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figures for Delhi, recorded 20.4 mm rainfall till 8:30 am. The all-time 24-hour highest rainfall recorded in the city was 62.2 mm, on March 11, 1915.

Earlier in 2019, the Air Quality Index in Delhi had become so toxic, that after Diwali, the Environmental Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) had declared a public health emergency in the Delhi-NCR and had advised senior citizens and children to avoid stepping out in the open environment.

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(With inputs from PTI)

(Image Credit: PTI)