Air Quality Index in the range of 0-50 is considered "Good" (File)
The air quality of the national capital turned "good" on Friday after a year of doing dismal on the Air Quality Index. The reason for the improvement in the air quality is the heavy rain Delhi received in the last two days. Delhi was at 43 on the index, which falls into the "good" category.
An AQI in the range of 0-50 is considered "Good", 51-100 "Satisfactory", 101-200 "Moderate", 201-300 "Poor", 301-400 "Very Poor" and 401-500 "Severe".
The clean air experience for the people of Delhi comes after months of poor air quality. In mid-June, due to frequent dust storms, the air quality had reached the "severe" level. The PM10 level, which is the presence of particles with diameter less than 10mm, was recorded at 801 in Delhi and at 754 in Delhi-NCR on June 15.
The PM10 level on Friday, however, was recorded as "good" at 39 in Delhi-NCR and 32 in Delhi.
For PM2.5, microscopic particles that lodge deep into the lungs and cause the most harm, levels were recorded at 320, a "very unhealthy" score, on June 15.
The PM2.5 level (presence of particles with diameter less than 2.5 mm) was 39 in Delhi-NCR and 21 in Delhi on Friday.
Gufran Beig, a scientist at the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research institute (SAFAR), said the monsoon had led to a flow of clean moisture-laden winds into the city that was cleansing the air.
A study said that nearly 15,000 people died prematurely in Delhi due to air pollution in 2016.
With inputs from PTI