NEW DELHI:
The last time the city breathed worse air in the month was on December 26, 2021, when the AQI hit 459. The most polluted December day ever was December 21, 2017, at 469.
Thursday's AQI was also the worst for the city in a month. The last higher reading was on November 19, with an AQI of 460.
This week has seen relentless toxic air, beginning Sunday when wind speeds dropped, causing pollutants to accumulate. The AQI deteriorated from "poor" at 294 on Sunday to "severe" at 433 on Tuesday, 445 on Wednesday, and now 451 on Thursday.
To make matters worse, forecasts show no significant change in climatic factors causing the pollution. With no rise in wind speed on the cards, the AQI is set to remain "severe" at least till Friday, if not till Saturday, the Centre's Early Warning System for Delhi (EWS) has said.
"A feeble western disturbance is impacting northwest India and winds have been fairly stagnant. The same western disturbance has also brought moisture, which also helps trap pollutants," said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet Meteorology. He said though wind speeds picked up briefly during the day on Thursday, going up to 15 km/hr, it once again dropped by late evening.
Denne historien er fra December 20, 2024-utgaven av Hindustan Times Haryana.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December 20, 2024-utgaven av Hindustan Times Haryana.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Jesus Hopes His Goals Can Help End Arsenal Title Drought
Gabriel Jesus is determined to keep scoring as Arsenal look to end their more than 20-year wait for a Premier League title.
The transition is upon India: What will it lead to?
It's been coming for a while but now, it truly feels like the transition is upon us.
Focus on speed: New mantra for Arjuna-winning wrestler Aman
Having lost to Japan's wrestlers at Asiad and Olympics, the Paris bronze medallist says his training stint in Japan was an eye-opener
Cummins Likely To Miss Next Tour Of Sri Lanka
Australia captain Pat Cummins hinted that he may skip the tour of Sri Lanka later this month to be present for the birth of his second child.
M&M, Tata Motors ride EVs to become first to win auto PLI
Tata Motors Ltd and Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd (M&M) on Thursday became India's first automakers to secure production incentives for the automotive sector, marking a key moment for the scheme that had a tepid start.
Anti-dumping duty on solar glass may delay projects
THE DOMESTIC SOLAR GLASS MANUFACTURING CAPACITY STANDS AT 10-12GW
CCI Probe Confirms Apple Violated Competition Law
The Competition Commission of India's investigation has confirmed anti-competitive practices by Apple Inc. following a probe into the iPhone and iPad maker's app store processes, two people familiar with the development said.
BharatPe Hires Rothschild To Sell Up To 25% In Unity SFB
New-age non-bank lender BharatPe is looking to sell anywhere between 10% and 25% stake in Unity Small Finance Bank, depending on buyer interest, two people with knowledge of the development said.
Morgan Stanley To Leave Banking Climate Coalition
Investment bank Morgan Stanley said on Thursday it had decided to leave the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, becoming the latest U.S. lender to quit the sector's top global climate coalition.
Centre sets up panel to reset WPI series' base yr
The government on Thursday set up a committee of experts to reset the base year of the current series of Wholesale Price Index (WPI) in an effort to make the measure of factory-gate inflation more accurate.