With an average Air Quality Index of 294, Delhi has recorded its cleanest December air since the introduction of the AQI system in 2015.<\/p>\n
This improvement can be attributed to strong, consistent winds in the first half of the month and record-breaking rainfall in the second, officials said.<\/p>\n
According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), December marked Delhi’s cleanest first half ever, with only one ‘very poor’ air day recorded between December 1 and December 15.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the AQI stood at 173, in the “moderate” category, a significant improvement from Sunday’s 225 (poor). This marked the eighth moderate air quality day this month, with the capital previously recording no more than three moderate days in December.<\/p>\n
The lowest AQI of this month was recorded on December 28, at 139, marking the cleanest December day on record.<\/p>\n
The average AQI during this period stood at 238, significantly lower than the usual AQI of over 300 for this time of year.<\/p>\n
In comparison, Delhi’s average AQI was 348 last December, 319 in 2022, and 336 in 2021. The previous lowest December AQI was 300, recorded in 2015.<\/p>\n
Additionally, the month is set to conclude with at leats 53.5 mm of rainfall, making it the fifth-wettest December since 1901. The city also recorded its highest single-day December rainfall in 101 years, with 41.2 mm on December 28 (Friday).<\/p>\n
This year, Delhi experienced six rainy days in December, compared to just one in 2023, none in 2022, four in 2021, and a single rainy day in December 2020.<\/p>\n
In total, Delhi recorded 53.5 mm of rainfall this month, with 41.2 mm occurring in a single day. In contrast, December 2023 and 2022 saw no rainfall, while 2021 recorded 9.6 mm, and 2020 recorded 1.6 mm.<\/p>\n
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the highest-ever single-day rainfall in December was 75.7 mm, recorded on December 3, 1923.<\/p>\n
While the nights were pleasant, with an average minimum temperature of 8.4 degree celsius, consistent with the long-period average (LPA) for December, the days were slightly warmer, with an average maximum temperature of 23.1 degree celsius — 0.3 notches above the LPA.<\/p>\n
This marks the coldest December since 2021, when the average maximum temperature was 22.4 degree celsius, according to IMD officials.<\/p>\n
Experts attributed the favourable air quality in December to the favourable dispersion of pollutants, particularly in the first two weeks of the month.<\/p>\n
However, the third week saw a slowdown in winds, causing six severe air quality days between December 17 and 23. This was due to a western disturbance that brought added moisture, which led to stagnation in the air.<\/p>\n
Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet, explained that winds in early December helped disperse pollutants effectively, preventing dense fog, and maintaining relatively clean air.<\/p>\n
On Monday, Delhis AQI stood at 173, in the “moderate” category, a significant improvement from Sunday’s 225 (poor).<\/p>\n
This marked the eighth moderate air quality day this month, with the capital previously recording no more than three moderate days in December.<\/p>\n
The lowest AQI of the month was recorded on December 28, at 139, marking the cleanest December day on record.<\/p>\n
The highest AQI recorded in December was 451, which occurred on December 19.<\/p>\n
The CPCB categorises AQI as follows: 0-50 (Good), 51-100 (Satisfactory), 101-200 (Moderate), 201-300 (Poor), 301-400 (Very Poor), and above 400 (Severe).<\/p>\n
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)<\/i><\/p>\n
\u200bThis improvement can be attributed to strong, consistent winds in the first half of the month and record-breaking rainfall in the second, officials said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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