AQI around 70: This July, air in Delhi is the cleanest it has been in 6 yrs

Big relief comes for the residents of the national capital as the city has witnessed its cleanest July air since 2016, according to a report in The Times of India. Central Pollution Control Board's data shows that, to date, July has witnessed 16 'satisfactory' air quality days compared to 11 days in July 2021 and 15 in July 2020. 

 

In July, Delhi's air quality is generally cleaner, owing to the monsoons, but this year, patchy rainfall and other meteorological factors have helped in cleaning the air, say experts.

 

While July has also reported 5 'moderate' air quality days, the city has not witnessed a single 'poor' or 'very poor' air quality day. Experts also believe that patchy rainfalls reported at regular intervals in different parts of the city have helped in settling down pollutants. 

 

As far as the Air Quality Index (AQI) is concerned, this July saw more moderate and satisfactory days than the previous years. The lowest AQI reported this month was 61 on July 17. Delhi's overall AQI was recorded at 70 on July 21.

 

According to CPCB, an AQI reading of 50 or below is classified as 'good', while reading between 51 and 100 on the index falls under the 'satisfactory' category.

 

In an interview with The Times of India, Dipankar Saha, former head of CPCB's air laboratory, said apart from rains, some other meteorological factors helped keep the air quality clean this July. He added, "Meterology plays an important role in maintaining ambient air quality."