(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Delhi's air quality, which was overall 'very poor yesterday, will not improve even after a drizzle due to high pollution, officials said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted that light showers in national capital region, including Delhi, between yesterday and tomorrow would help bring down the pollution level.
However, with air quality hovering near severe levels, light showers will not be enough to provide clean air, especially in the long run.
'In case of rain, there is a possibility of very little improvement... however, as per the IMD, the levels will stay in the very poor category. At present, the PM2.5 levels are already above 418 units in certain areas, Shambhavi Shukla, a researcher at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and member of the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, said.
Some parts of the national capital witnessed a drizzle around 5.30pm for a few minutes yesterday.
PM2.5, or pollution particles in air with diameter less than 2.5 micrometers, dropped from 249 units at 5pm (before the drizzle) to 248 at 6pm (after the drizzle).
According to experts, light showers may help abate pollution for a day but they also lead to deterioration of air quality.
'The rain intensity is very less. Drizzle increases air moisture, thereby leading to a drop in minimum temperature. The overall effect is that air pollutants do not disperse. Unless there is good rain, the air quality will remain very poor, EPCA member Usmaan Naseem said.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi (361) at 4pm was at the upper end of the severe level, while in Ghaziabad (463) and Noida (408) it was 'severe.
The PM2.5 values also increased over the past 24 hours. In the NCR, it was 248 units at 6pm yesterday, against 241 units on Sunday. In Delhi, it was 243 units as against 237 units on Sunday about 10 times the safe limit as per international standards.
The air quality was described as 'severe plus at Anand Vihar (PM2.5 reading 431 against 389 on Sunday) in east Delhi; Delhi Technical University (PM2.5 428 units against 332 on Sunday) in north Delhi; Mathura Road (403 units as per SAFAR) in south-Delhi; Sector 125, Noida (374 units against 304 on Sunday) and Vasundhara in Ghaziabad (417 units against 367 on Sunday).
Meanwhile, at R K Puram in south Delhi and Mandir Marg in central Delhi, the air quality was severe with PM2.5 recorded at 270 and 261 units respectively at 6pm.
A vendor prepares to sell candyfloss amid heavy smog at the India Gate monument in New Delhi yesterday.
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