Delhi Air Quality Improves Temporarily Due to Strong Winds, But Deterioration Expected
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New Delhi's air quality saw a slight reprieve on Saturday morning, with strong surface winds improving the AQI to 235 (poor) at 8am. This is a significant improvement from the previous day's reading of 236 (poor) at 4pm, and even more so from Thursday's very poor rating of 380 at 4pm. The Commission for Air Quality Management lifted stage-3 measures of the Graded Response Action Plan in the NCR on Friday evening. However, forecasts suggest that the air quality could deteriorate in the coming days, with the Air Quality Early Warning System predicting a return to the very poor category by Sunday and Monday. A cold northwesterly wind system is expected to bring a drop in minimum temperatures, with the Met department issuing a yellow alert for Sunday due to moderate fog. The minimum temperature on Saturday stood at 8.1°C, 1.2 degrees above normal, but is forecast to dip to 6-8°C over the weekend. Flight delays at the Delhi airport were reported on Saturday morning, mainly due to impact at other airports in north India. Dense to very dense fog conditions are expected to last for 5-7 days in several states, including Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, and for 4-5 days in parts of Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, and Northeast India.
