Delhi's air quality remains in 'very poor' category, likely to improve tomorrow

New Delhi: The national capital’s air quality was in the ‘very poor’ category on Saturday but is predicted to improve significantly from Sunday owing to relatively strong winds. Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) at 9 am on Saturday was 377. It was slightly better on Friday when the AQI was 370, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. The city recorded a minimum temperature of 14.5 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season’s average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The AQI in neighbouring Ghaziabad (342), Gurgaon (340) and Noida (363) was also in the ‘very poor’ category. An 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’. According to the authorities concerned, the air quality is likely to improve “significantly” from Sunday owing to relatively strong winds. To combat pollution, the Delhi government had on Wednesday issued 10 directions, including a ban on the entry of trucks carrying non-essential items in the city and closure of schools and colleges till further orders. The maximum temperature in Delhi is likely to settle at 26 degrees Celsius on Saturday. The relative humidity recorded at 8.30 am was 85 percent. The weather department has predicted a generally cloudy sky for the day with the possibility of very light rain.