Rain fails to improve air quality

NEW DELHI: Heavy downpour that hit Delhi and other areas in north India on Thursday and the spells of light rain on Friday failed to improve the overall air quality index (AQI). In Delhi, the AQI on Friday was recorded at 320 in the morning, which is considered in the “poor” category.

An AQI between 100 and 200 comes under “moderate” cate- gory, 201 and 300 is considered “poor”, 301-400 “very poor”, that between 401 and 500 is “severe”.

As per Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency, “Light scattered rains are expected to continue over the national capital region till February 15. By February 16, the weather systems will move towards east India giving rain in Uttar Pradesh.”

“As a consequence of the rainfall activity, maximums in Delhi and its adjoining areas will drop by 2 degrees Celsius to 4 degrees Celsius, while the maximums will again start increasing February 16 onwards,” it added.

Moreover, rail services were disrupted in the region as a thick blanket of fog engulfed the capital and its surrounding regions.

According to the Indian Railways, as many as 16 trains coming towards Delhi are running late due to low visibility on the railway tracks.