Delhi's air quality to remain 'poor'

New Delhi, Dec 16 (IANS) Delhi's air quality continued to remain in the 'poor' category on Sunday and is likely to remain so due to high humidity which is not allowing the pollutants to disperse, SAFAR said in its forecast.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi at 4 p.m. was recorded at 282 (poor) against Saturday's 261 -- not much improvement on a scale of 0 to 500. 

In the national capital region (NCR), Faridabad and Noida had 'poor' air quality at 236 and 272, respectively. However, Ghaziabad and Greater Noida slipped into the 'very poor' category with AQI at 326 and 320 respectively from Saturday's 'poor' air quality.

"Wind speed continues to remain a key factor to improve the air quality after rain washed away the pollutants. However, factors such as high humidity is still unfavourable for pollutants to disperse with the wind," the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) said in its forecast. 

As per the data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the average concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 in Delhi at 7 p.m. was 140 and 238 microgrammes per cubic metres. Across NCR, it was 136 and 240 units, respectively.

Meanwhile, Delhi's minimum temperature on Sunday was recorded at 7.2 degrees Celsius, one notch below the season's average, and is expected to dip more as per the weather department. 

"This week, the minimum temperature is expected to drop some more and might hover between 5 and 6 degrees Celsius during the night," an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official told IANS.

With a mainly clear sky and shallow fog in the morning, Monday's maximum temperature will hover around 23 degrees Celsius, the season's average, while the minimum will be around 7 degrees Celsius.