Delhi witnesses drop in temperature, air quality remains in 'very poor' category

New Delhi: Delhiites woke up to a chilly Friday (December 17, 2021) morning as a layer of fog settled in the city due to a drop in temperature. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that Delhi is likely to experience 'shallow fog' today with the mercury dropping to as low as 8 degrees Celsius. 

A layer of fog settles in Delhi as temperatures drop. Visuals from Akshardham.

As per IMD, Delhi is likely to experience 'shallow fog' today with the mercury dropping to as low as 8°C.

AQI in Delhi is presently at 339 (overall) in the 'very poor' category, as per SAFAR-India. pic.twitter.com/OUi8x7AJkp — ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2021

The maximum and minimum temperatures of Friday are likely to hover around 20 degrees Celsius and 9 degrees Celsius, respectively. The national capital on Thursday recorded a maximum temperature of 19.8 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal, IMD said.

The city witnessed another cold morning on Thursday with the minimum temperature settling at 8.7 degrees Celsius, the IMD said. The weather department said the mercury is likely to drop by a few notches over the next two-three days. The weather office also predicted shallow fog in the next few days. 

Meanwhile, the air quality in the national capital continued to remain in the `very poor` quality, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 339 on Friday (December 17, 2021) morning but it is predicted to improve in the next few days due to a likely high wind speed. 

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the concentrations of PM 2.5 and PM 10 stood at 171 in the `very poor` and 283 in the `poor` category respectively.

As per the government agencies, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered `good`, 51 and 100 `satisfactory`, 101 and 200 `moderate`, 201 and 300 `poor`, 301 and 400 `very poor`, and 401 and 500 `severe`.

SAFAR, in its bulletin, also stated, "Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad: AQI of Pune indicates moderate air quality today and likely to be `moderate` for the next 2 days. AQI of Mumbai indicates poor category and is likely to be the same for the next 2 days. AQI of Ahmedabad indicates air quality is of moderate category and likely to remain so for the next 2 days."

Earlier, on Monday, after a review meeting, the Delhi government has extended the ban on the entry of non-essential trucks in the national capital till further orders. 

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