Air Quality In Delhi Turns ‘Poor’ As Monsoon Nears Its End

New Delhi: As the monsoon season is nearing its end, air quality in the national capital dipped to 'poor' on Tuesday, officials said.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city's AQI at 9 pm was 204 -- in the "poor" category.

An AQI between 0-50 is considered "good", 51-100 "satisfactory", 101-200 "moderate", 201-300 "poor", 301-400 "very poor" and 401-500 "severe".

AQI Turns Poor As Monsoon Comes To End

The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi forecasts that air quality is expected to fall within the "moderate" category on Wednesday, with a chance of light rain.

Predominant surface winds are anticipated to come from the east/southeast at speeds of 8 to 12 km/h.

On Tuesday, the maximum temperature reached 37.4 degrees Celsius, which is three degrees above the seasonal average, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 26.4 degrees Celsius, 2.5 degrees above normal, according to the weather department.

For Wednesday, maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to be around 36 degrees Celsius and 26 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Efforts Being Taken To Tackle Pollution In Winter, says Gopal Rai

Earlier last week, Delhi Minister Gopal Rai announced that the Environment Department will deploy drones to monitor air quality at pollution hotspots as part of a 21-point plan aimed at reducing air pollution during the winter months. 

"For the first time in Delhi, we will utilize drones for real-time air quality monitoring at critical areas as part of the Winter Action Plan," Rai stated at a press conference where he shared details of the decisions made during the meeting. He noted that all departments have been instructed to submit comprehensive action plans and recommendations to the Environment Department by September 12. 

Gopal Rai emphasized that the government is ramping up its efforts to tackle pollution issues this winter.