Delhi experiences first 'good air' day in 14 months as rains 'wash out pollutants'

The city’s average AQI on Monday was 46, entering the 'good' zone (below 50) for the first time in 14 months

Rewarding Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's efforts to reduce pollution levels in Delhi, nature seems to be doing its own magic as Delhites breathed the freshest air in more than 14 months. Heavy rains in Delhi garnered its first ‘good air day’ this year in a span of 24 hours.

The city’s average AQI entered the "good" zone (below 50) on Monday at 46 for the first time in 14 months according to a TOI report.

Also read | Kejriwal blames neighbouring states for Delhi pollution, appeals to citizens to pitch in

On Sunday, Delhi’s AQI had hovered near the “very poor” category (above 300) at 298, with a toxic haze enveloping the city the day before. As air quality usually starts falling from mid-October, experts said a clean air day during this time was highly “unusual”.

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board, which started measuring AQI in 2015, shows good air days are rare in Delhi with no such days reported in 2015, 2016 and 2018. Good air days outside the monsoon season are still rare, with just one recorded since 2015, the report said.

In 2017, there were two “good air” days, on July 30 and 31 and 2019 also saw only two such days, on August 18 and 19. Last year, Delhi saw five good air quality days, one in March following the total Covid-19 lockdown and four in August.

V K Soni, head, environment and research centre, India Meteorological Department (IMD), told TOI, “Good rainfall recorded in Delhi and neighbouring states, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Uttarakhand, helped wash out pollutants, pushing the city’s AQI in the ‘good’ category.”

Meanwhile, with stubble burning in neighbouring states spiking pollution in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on October 12 asked for the common man's help in bringing down pollution by foregoing use of personal vehicles at least once a week and turning off vehicles at traffic signals.

Kejriwal has claimed that the pollution level was under safe limits in the capital till recently but has risen in the past couple of days as farmers in neighbouring states started burning stubble.

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