Delhi weather: Think haze of dust has lifted due to strong winds, but air quality is "severe"
The thick haze of dust that had enveloped the national capital for the last few days has dissipated to a large extent, pushed by strong winds. On Sunday, residents of the city woke up to a partly cloudy sky. The temperature and humidity were a bit lower than the past three days at 28.2 degree Celsius.
The maximum temperature is likely to hover around 38 degree Celsius, the weather office has said.
The air quality in Delhi, however, remained under the "severe" category despite the dust clearing up a bit. The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research, also known as SAFAR, said the pollution level that dipped to "severe plus" state has come to "severe" category due to rapid dispersion of pollutants.
The Central Pollution Control Board's data shows level of the pollutant PM10 at 420 in Delhi today.
"The dispersion of pollutants has become faster after the local winds picked up speed, which in turn has rapidly decreased the pollution level and improved air quality," said Gufran Beig, a scientist at SAFAR.
The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted light rain today. "There is a possibility of light rains and thunder showers with strong gusty winds," an IMD officer said.
Delhi
was hit by a severe dust storm earlier this week, following which air pollution rose to staggering levels across the national capital. A thick cover of haze and dust had enveloped the city for five days.
Visibility had fallen and people were given warnings of severe health risks. Because of the dust carried by the winds, heat was unable to escape, sending temperatures in the national capital soaring.
On June 15, the level of PM10, which is the presence of particles with diameter less than 10 mm, was recorded at 801 in Delhi. The same day, 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.