India, July 13 -- Delhi's air quality deteriorated to the 'poor' category on Sunday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) rising to 261, the highest in over 85 days. The reading was the highest since April 17, when the AQI stood at 263, after recording 140 on Saturday. Air quality had largely remained in the 'moderate' and 'satisfactory' categories for most of the month. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) attributed the deterioration to long-range transnational winds carrying mineral dust from storm activity in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, which moved towards north- western India, including Delhi, leading to elevated PM10 concentrations. Strong winds across the Indo-Gangetic Plain further contributed to the spike, the commission said.
The CAQM said Delhi's air quality is likely to remain in the 'poor' category over the next few days before improving once the transnational dust spell subsides. Despite the rise in pollution, the commission decided against invoking GRAP Stage-I restrictions, directing the Delhi Pollution Control Committee instead to intensify dust-control measures. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded a maximum temperature of 36.8 degrees Celsius, 1.3 degrees above normal, and a minimum of 28.3 degrees Celsius. The heat index, or feels-like temperature, touched 45.7 degrees Celsius on Sunday evening.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.