Delhi residents can now hope to see a clear sky only on Wednesday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting dense fog for Monday, and dense to moderate fog the day after. IMD’s forecast for Wednesday is “mist in the morning followed by clear sky”.
The forecast comes after poor visibility of less than 500 metres during 21 hours on Saturday and Sunday due to fog and smog, according to the IMD website.
On Sunday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that the burning of crops in neighbouring states was one of the main reasons for the sharp dip in the capital’s air quality. Images from NASA’s Fire Mapper also show that the number of fires in areas surrounding Delhi has been rising consistently over the last week.
The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) has forecast that the concentration of Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 in the air on Monday would be a high 613 micrograms per cubic metre — it was 588 micrograms per cubic metre on Sunday.
According to Met officials, the wind levels are expected to “remain calm” for at least two more days although the temperature would continue to drop — both conditions are favourable for the accumulation of pollutants.
According to Met officials, the wind levels are expected to “remain calm” for at least two more days although the temperature would continue to drop — both conditions are favourable for the accumulation of pollutants.
According to Met officials, low wind speed, high humidity and low temperature are typical conditions that lead to the formation of smog.
“Wind speed on Sunday was in the range of 1.5 metres per second to 0.3 metres per second — much lower than what is usually seen during this time of the year. Humidity levels are also unusually high with the peaks touching 95 per cent daily. Winters are supposed to be windy and dry. This year, the weather is unusual and is aiding the accumulation of pollutants,” said an official.
“Wind speed on Sunday was in the range of 1.5 metres per second to 0.3 metres per second — much lower than what is usually seen during this time of the year. Humidity levels are also unusually high with the peaks touching 95 per cent daily. Winters are supposed to be windy and dry. This year, the weather is unusual and is aiding the accumulation of pollutants,” said an official.
Officials said that wind speed started dropping from Diwali night, when the peak reached 2.5 metres per second. “Since then, it has consistently dropped and Sunday saw day-time wind speed plummet to 1 metre per second at some places,” said an official.
Source:The Indian Express
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