Diwali crackers could push Delhi’s AQI to ‘very poor’ category: IMD

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New Delhi: Days ahead of Diwali, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday (November 1) warned that bursting of crackers and northwesterly winds could push the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi to ‘very poor’ category on November 5 and 6.

The air quality in the national capital is expected to remain in `poor` category till November 4, as per IMF forecast.

“Till November 4, air quality is expected to be in ‘poor’ category,” VK Soni, scientist of IMD Delhi was quoted as saying by ANI.

“It could dip to ‘very poor’ category on November 5 to 6 due to northwesterly winds and bursting of crackers,” he added.

Soni said that the minimum temperature in Delhi will remain between 13-15 degrees Celsius for the next three days.

On Monday, the overall air quality of Delhi slipped to the ‘very poor’ category as the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) recorded Air Quality Indexing (AQI) of 302.

The agency, however, predicted that the air quality will “improve to the upper end of poor” due to the expected change in wind direction to westerly/south-westerly reducing transport of emissions from stubble burning.