Rain lashes Delhi-NCR, brings respite from air pollution; IMD predicts cold wave from Dec 9

Delhi Rains: Several areas in Delhi-NCR received rains on Sunday, December 8, bringing some relief from pollution and poor air quality in the region.

On Sunday, the air quality plunged into the ‘very poor’ category with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 302 after having improved to the ‘moderate’ level at the start of December. 

In its latest forecast, India's weather department has said very light rainfall or drizzle is likely at isolated places in Delhi like the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Vasant Kunj, Hauz Khas, Malviya Nagar, Kalkaji, Mehrauli, Tughlaqabad, Chhattarpur, IGNOU, Aya Nagar and Deramandi. 

Apart from these regions, other NCR areas like Noida, Gurugram, Manesar, and Farukhnagar in Haryana are expected to experience mild rainfall tomorrow evening. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also forecast fog for Monday.

“Western disturbance persists over central Pakistan and its surrounding areas... Light to moderate rain is expected in the Himalayas today and tomorrow. Light rain is expected in Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi,” Naresh Kumar, a scientist at IMD, told the news agency ANI on Sunday. 

Kumar also said that the temperatures might rise in Punjab, Delhi-NCR and Haryana on December 8, and after December 9, the temperature is expected to decrease, and cold wave conditions may develop. “The cold wave will first hit Rajasthan, followed by Punjab and Haryana,” he told the news agency. 

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classifies a city's AQI between 0 and 50 as “good”, between 51 and 100 as “satisfactory”, between 101 and 200 as “moderate”, between 201 and 300 as “poor”, between 301 and 400 as “very poor”, and above 400 as “severe”. 

Delhi's AQI was at 302 as of 4 p.m. on Sunday, according to media reports.

“An evaluation committee reviewed the system and found that its data and accuracy were not in line with the terms of reference set for the model. It was also observed that some of the data or the emissions inventory being used was outdated,” an official from the Commission for Air Quality Management told the news agency PTI on Sunday.