Delhi records cleanest air quality in 22 months with AQI at 51

Delhi AQI

Delhi on Tuesday saw its cleanest air quality since September 2023, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 51. This level falls under the ‘satisfactory’ category, but it was the closest the city has come to reaching the ‘good’ air quality level in the last two years. The last time Delhi recorded ‘good’ air was on September 10, 2023, The Times of India reported.

In the early part of Tuesday, the AQI remained within the ‘good’ category for a while. At 10 am, the AQI was 45 and later rose slightly to 49 by 3 pm. By 4 pm, it increased to 51, pushing it just into the ‘satisfactory’ category.

Notably, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good,’ while 51 to 100 is considered ‘satisfactory.’ In 2024, the best AQI recorded in the city was 52 on September 13.

As per TOI, the improvement in air quality can be linked to recent weather conditions. Intermittent rainfall and breezy winds helped clear pollutants from the air. Although Safdarjung, Delhi’s main weather station, did not record any rainfall by 5.30 pm on Tuesday, areas like Lodhi Road and Ayanagar did report light traces of rain, though the amount was too small to be officially recorded.

From 8.30 am on Monday to 8.30 am on Tuesday, different parts of the city recorded varying amounts of rainfall, with 10.2 mm at Safdarjung and Lodhi Road, 28.2 mm at Palam, 31.2 mm at Ayanagar, and 6.4 mm at Ridge. So far, Delhi has received 98.4 mm of rainfall in July, which is still much lower than the average of 209.7 mm usually expected for the month.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has not issued any warning, but the city is likely to see light to moderate rain on Wednesday along with some thunderstorms. The maximum temperature is expected to stay between 31 and 33 degrees Celsius. On Tuesday, Safdarjung recorded a high of 33.9 degrees Celsius and a low of 24.5 degrees Celsius, both slightly below normal for this time of the year.