Delhi’s last rain spell turns air quality good; traffic disrupted
BREATHE EASY Capital witnesses ‘good’ air quality for second time this year, CPCB data shows
NEW DELHI: A continuous spell of light rain that started early Saturday morning was enough to throw traffic movement out of gear in various parts of DelhiNCR. However, the showers also brought with it some good news: the city’s air quality turned ‘good’ for a few hours for the second time this year, officials of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said.
According to data released by the CPCB, the national Capital’s air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 48 micrograms per cubic metre, which is categorised as ‘good’. However, the average AQI for t he day remained ‘satisfactory’ — at 54 microgams per cubic metre.
The spell of rain brought the mercury down by 6.4 degrees to 27.6 degrees Celsius, five notches below the season’s average. The cooler weather is going to remain till Monday and the temperature may again rise to 36 degrees Celsius by Thursday.
Long snarls were witnessed on several key stretches due to waterlogging and potholes on the roads. Vehicles moved bumper to bumper on arterial roads, including the Badarpur underpass at Mehrauli-badarpur Road, Ito-bhairon Marg, Modi Mill flyover (Okhla), Rao Tula Ram (RTR) T-point, Rajghat, Lajpat Nagar on Ring Road, Mundka to Surajmal Stadium (both carriageways), Dwarka , Shankar Road, Anand Parbat and Rajdhani Park.
Commuters in east Delhi, meanwhile, had a harrowing time owing to the ongoing strike of sanitation workers. With the rain, the piles of garbage that were dumped on roads got scattered and emanated a stench.
“The constant drizzle has brought respite to almost everyone in the city except us. The heaps of garbage on streets are all over the place and could even cause accidents of motorists. Why isn’t the government taking any action regarding this mess,”asked Prabhat Jain, a resident of Laxmi Nagar.
Officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the day temperature on Saturday was 27.6 degrees Celsius down from Friday’s 34 degrees. The minimum temperature, too, saw a drop of nearly four degrees from Friday at 22.2 degrees Celsius. The city will continue to receive rain till Monday and it is the last spell of monsoon.
The Safdarjung observatory, considered to be a representative of the city’s weather, received 26.8 mm rainfall between Friday and Saturday. Light rain and thunderstorm are expected on Sunday as well, said the official.
“Light to moderate rain is expected on Sunday while isolated parts of Delhi-ncr could receive heavy spells. Monday again could see some traces of rain. However, this would be the last spell of rain for this year’s monsoon over northwest India,” said a senior IMD official.
On Saturday, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal too tweeted about the improved air quality. “Am glad people’s efforts are bearing fruit and Delhi air quality is improving,” he wrote quoting a news report on the subject. Earlier this year, the AQI fell in the ‘good’ category on July 28, when pollutants in the air were washed away with the the onset of monsoon.
“The air quality turned good this time due to both widespread rain and strong winds. The incessant rain in Delhi and surrounding areas did not allow pollutants generated locally to be carried in the air,” said a senior CPCB officer, who did not wish to be named. As per inputs received from the IMD, the officer said, air quality is expected to remain in the ‘satisfactory’ category over the next two days.
FARIDABAD UNDERPASS SUBMERGED AGAIN
Heavy rains lashed Faridabad, leading to waterlogging and traffic disruption at several places, including the Greenfield colony on the Faridabad-delhi border. Most affected areas included Neelam Chowk-ajrondha, parts of Ballabgarh, Sector 17, NIT and Greenfield.
The rain led to the Greenfield underpass to get submerged — which triggered massive protest by residents of the area who demanded an immediate solution to the problem. Just a few weeks ago, 52-year-old Krishna Devi, lost her leg which got crushed under a train while she was crossing the railway tracks. According to sources, she had take the railway road as the underpass was submerged.