Cold wave likely, no relief to from pollution as AQI still ‘very poor’
NEW DELHI: Delhi is in for another cold wave with the minimum temperature likely to drop by four degrees Celsius over the next two-three days, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday.
The maximum is likely to settle around 16 degrees Celsius. Dense-to-very-dense fog is also predicted during the period, said Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD’S regional forecasting centre.
“A cold wave is likely to grip the city over the next two-three days as icy winds from the snowladen western Himalayas bring the mercury down to 4 degrees Celsius,” he said.
In the plains, the IMD declares a cold wave if the minimum temperature dips to 4 degrees Celsius. A severe cold wave is when the minimum is 2 degrees Celsius or less. On Monday, the minimum temperature stood at 7.4 degrees Celsius.
Delhi had recorded a cold day on Sunday with the maximum temperature dropping to 15 degrees Celsius, six notches below normal and the lowest this month.
A cold day is when the minimum temperature is less than 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum is at least 4.5 degrees Celsius below normal
Amid the severe cold conditions in many parts of north-india, the air pollution in the national capital remained in the ‘very poor’ category with an overall air quality index (AQI) stood at 339.
The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) stated, “Surface winds west southwesterly and moderate.
Marginal decrease in ventilation index is forecasted, AQI is likely to marginally deteriorate to the middle-end of very poor on January 25 and 26. The middle to the higher end of the very poor category is forecasted for January 27.”
An AQI between 0-50 is marked good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101- 200 is moderate, 201300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is considered severe.
KOCHI: The Kerala high court on Monday granted bail to suspended IAS officer M Sivasankar arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on October 28 in a money- laundering case registered in connection with goldsmuggling in the state.
In a relief to the former principal secretary to Kerala Chief Minister, the Additional Chief Judicial (Economic Offences) Court, Ernakulam, also granted him default bail in a case registered by Customs in connection with the smuggling of gold.
Sivasankar, however, would continue to remain behind bars as he was arrested by the Customs on January 21 in connection with an alleged dollarsmuggling case. The HC granted bail to Sivasankar nearly three months after he was arrested.pti