Delhi rains: Showers bring respite from pollution, IMD forecasts moderate fog | Watch videos
Rain hit Delhi and nearby regions on Saturday night, alleviating air pollution. The IMD predicted cloudy skies with potential light rain or thunderstorms. Smog and moderate fog may occur overnight.
Rain lashed Delhi and surrounding areas on Saturday night — bringing some respite from air pollution. The Delhi AQI remained ‘very poor’ on Friday evening while most parts of the national capital territory showed a ‘poor’ rating. The India Meteorological Department has forecast light rain till Sunday in the capital city.
Visuals shared online showed people using umbrellas and vehicles plying amid light rainfall on Saturday. The Delhi Traffic Police has also shared updates throughout the day flagging waterlogging and subsequent traffic snarls.
IMD had earlier forecast “generally cloudy” skies with light rain or thunderstorms for Saturday. Smog or shallow to moderate fog is also likely during the night.
“Generally cloudy sky. Very light rain or drizzle during morning hours. Smog or shallow fog in most of the places and moderate fog in few places is likely,” the weather department predicted for Sunday.
Flights were cancelled and trains delayed on Saturday morning as a thick layer of fog engulfed the national capital. Data shared by the Met department indicated that visibility had dipped to a mere 50 metres in the early hours and several areas witnessed dense fog in the morning. IMD said that the minimum temperature had settled at 7.7 degree Celsius — normal during the season.
The air quality in Delhi has been inching closer to the ‘severe’ category this week — standing just 3 points shy of the classification on Friday evening. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board also noted that 18 out of 29 monitoring stations in the city had recorded AQI readings in the “severe” category with readings above 400.
“Dense fog reduces the amount of solar radiation reaching the ground, thereby lowering the mixing layer height and leading to the accumulation of pollutants near the ground,” Abhishek Kar — the Senior Programme Lead at the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water — had explained on Friday.
“CAQM has imposed GRAP Stage 3 in Delhi and adjoining areas. Authorities should strictly enforce CAQM’s orders, including banning older vehicles from plying, intensifying public transport, introducing differential pricing to promote off-peak travel, and banning dust-generating construction activities, to improve air quality,” he added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Business NewsNewsIndiaDelhi rains: Showers bring respite from pollution, IMD forecasts moderate fog | Watch videos
First Published:11 Jan 2025, 07:25 PM IST
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