Delhi shivers at 4.8 deg C , air quality remains ‘very poor’

New Delhi, Jan 21 (SocialNews.XYZ) There was no respite from cold for Delhiites as the national capital on Sunday recorded 4.8 degrees Celsius minimum temperature, three notches below the seasonal average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The IMD's forecast showed that the maximum temperature on Sunday is likely to hover around 15 degrees Celsius, and said that it is going to be a "mainly clear sky with cold day conditions".

The IMD said that due to fog, visibility at Delhi-Palam reduced to 400 metre at 2 a.m. to 100 metre at 2.30 a.m. and it further reduced to zero metre at 3 a.m.

"Dense to very dense fog was observed in isolated pockets over Delhi, North Haryana, West Uttar Pradesh, West Madhya Pradesh. At 5.30 a.m. the visibility at Palam was at 50 m while Safdarjung was 200 m," said the IMD in a post on X.

Owing to dense fog, 11 trains were reported running late from one to three hours and departure and arrival of several flights were also reported to have been delayed at Delhi airport.

Moreover, the air quality continued to remain in the 'very poor' category at several stations across the city.

In the Anand Vihar area, at 9 a.m., PM2.5 levels were recorded to be in the 'very poor' category standing at 345 and PM10 reached 248 or 'poor', according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The Air Quality Index (AQI) between zero and 50 is considered 'good'; 51 and 100 'satisfactory'; 101 and 200 'moderate'; 201 and 300 'poor'; 301 and 400 'very poor'; and 401 and 500 'severe'.

The IGI Airport T3 witnessed PM2.5 levels at 244, and PM10 was at 130, both falling under the 'poor' and 'moderate' category, respectively.

Source: IANS