Chandigarh AQI turns poor; rain likely today
Between 201-300, AQI is classified as poor and can cause breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure
: The air quality, which had improved post-Diwali, returned to the poor category again on Sunday as a fresh western disturbance is affecting the region.
At 6 pm, the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) was at 215 at the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) in Sector 22, and 250 at the CAAQMS in Sector 53. Air quality was still in the moderate category at CAAQMS Sector 25 at 184. Air quality was relatively cleaner in Panchkula with AQI at 122 at 6 pm.
Between 201-300, AQI is classified as poor and can cause breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure. During Diwali, the AQI had gone past 400 in Sector 53 which was the first time this has happened since 2019.
Speaking about why the air quality has started decreasing, IMD Chandigarh director Manmohan Singh said that it has to do with fresh western disturbance affecting the region. Before this, colder north westerly winds had been blowing in the region, keeping the air quality in the moderate bracket. “With the western disturbance, the dominant wind system has changed, and wind speed had also come down on Sunday due to which the AQI had gone up,” he said.
Singh added that AQI is also related to inversion of temperature and as temperature falls down, the AQI automatically increases.
The current western disturbance is likely to have the most effect on Monday with chances of light rain in the city as per IMD officials. The system is likely to be more active in southern parts of Haryana, but some light rain can also be expected in the city.
Even a drizzle would improve the air quality significantly but a drop in temperature is also on the cards if it rains during the day. Further, there are chances of fog in the city from Tuesday evening onwards if it rains on Monday. A steep drop in night temperature is also expected after the sky becomes clear.