Northwest winds may blow away Delhi’s dirty air

NEW DELHI: The national capital could get a respite from severe air pollution during the Christmas holiday weekend. Expect clear sunny skies in the next two-three days thanks to northwesterly winds, said meteorologists.

This will help blow away the smog, they said.

"From the air quality touching severe conditions over the past two days, quality will definitely improve now," said Gufran Beig, project director at the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar) under the ministry of earth sciences.

Levels of particulate matter 2.5—or fine particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres—over Delhi have touched 295 microgrammes per cubic metre and particulate matter 10 (PM 10) over Delhi has touched 470 microgrammes per cubic metre as of December 23, the worst this year.

"Air quality will remain poor but will improve as northwesterly wind speed has increased," said Beig. He said the air quality could fall from December 27 as the western disturbance over the region withdraws, leading to an increase in moisture in the air and a fall in temperature.

There’s good news for air passengers. "We don’t expect any flight delays or diversions for the next two days, which travellers usually have to brace for during this time of the year," said RK Jenamani, director, meteorological watch office at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The skies have been clear of fog since Thursday morning, he said.

Delhi can expect mainly clear skies with shallow, moderate fog in the morning, the India Meteorological Department said in its forecast for the Delhi region for the next 24 hours.