Delhi Sees Fresh Air Relief as Pollution Levels Drop to Moderate

Delhi residents woke up to cleaner air on Saturday morning as the city's air quality index improved to the moderate category after staying in the poor zone for three days straight.

Air Quality Numbers

The Central Pollution Control Board reported that the air quality index stood at 185 at nine in the morning on October 24. This marks a clear drop from Friday afternoon, when the 24-hour average reading was 230 in the poor category. CPCB guidelines classify an index between 101 and 200 as moderate, while readings from 201 to 300 fall under poor.

Weather Update

Alongside the cleaner air, the capital recorded a small drop in its minimum temperature. Safdarjung registered a morning low of 18.3 degrees Celsius, which is 0.7 degrees lower than the previous day and 1.1 degrees above normal. Other local weather stations also noted cooler starts, with Palam and Lodhi Road both marking 17.6 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar recording 17 degrees. The India Meteorological Department expects maximum temperatures to stay between 32 and 34 degrees Celsius alongside partly cloudy skies.

Context

Delhi frequently experiences shifting air quality levels due to changing seasonal weather patterns and local pollution sources. The Central Pollution Control Board monitors these daily figures to track pollution trends across different parts of the capital.