As temperatures dipped on Sunday, air pollution levels refused to reduce even as wind speed remained high throughout Monday. High wind speed aids the dispersion of pollutants but low temperatures increase their concentration.
According to IMD officials, wind speed on Sunday was between 7 and 12 km per hour, which is usually enough to disperse pollutants, but the dense fog and low temperatures ensured that Delhi’s air remained very poor all day. It was only a marginal improvement from the severely polluted air Delhi has seen over the past two days.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the Air Quality Index for Sunday was 373 — making the air very poor. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research, Delhiites will breathe easier on Monday and Tuesday.
According to scientists, the PM 2.5 concentration in Delhi on Sunday was 273 micrograms per cubic metre. It is expected to be 246 µg/m3 on Monday and 221 µg/m3 on Tuesday as temperatures are expected to be higher than they were on Sunday. So far, Delhi has seen better air than last year.
