Delhi woke up to a misty and chilly Sunday (December 8) morning with the minimum temperature hitting the 7 degrees Celsius mark. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted rain later in the day
The national capital recorded a seasonal-low minimum temperature for the second day in a row, clocking 7.1 degrees Celsius, which was three notches below normal for this time of the year. Delhi recorded the season’s coldest night on December 6 with temperatures dropping to 8.5 degrees Celsius.
“Under the influence of a western disturbance, light or moderate rainfall and snowfall is likely over western Himalayan region during December 9 to 11, and light isolated rainfall over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday is possible. There is a possibility of light rain or drizzle in Delhi on Sunday as well. There might be some mist in the night too,” IMD said in its forecast.
Delhi’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) dropped down to the ‘poor’ category on December 7. It was measured as 219 by the Central Pollution Control Board at 8 am. Visuals from India Gate, Barapullah and Lodhi Road showed a thin layer of smog engulfing the areas.
The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city was recorded at 233 at 4 pm on Saturday, marking a deterioration from Friday’s reading of 197, which fell in the ‘moderate’ category.
Delhi’s air quality has been reeling in ‘very severe’, ‘severe’, ‘very poor’ and ‘poor’ categories post-Diwali. Residents in the national capital have complained of breathing difficulties and several other medical problems.
Meanwhile, the Decision Support System (DSS), the primary tool used to assess and estimate the sources of pollution in Delhi, has not been updated since November 29.
A Commission for Air Quality Management official stated that the DSS is still in the development phase and has not been fully commissioned yet.
According to the IMD forecast, the maximum temperature will stay around 24 degrees Celsius on December 8 and see a further dip to 23 degrees Celsius by December 9. The minimum too is expected to hover around 8 degrees Celsius today and then dip further.