Delhi's AQI dropped to 59 amid heavy monsoon rain, its cleanest air in nearly ten months, even as the downpour felled trees in Kalkaji and caused a road to cave in near Ghaziabad's Atal Chowk.
On Thursday, Delhi witnessed the lowest air pollution levels in the past three years after an intense spell of monsoon rain in the capital, as a tree fell down in Kalkaji, and a road caved in near Atal Chowk in Ghaziabad due to the rains.
As per data provided by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the capital received 72.6 mm of rainfall till 8:30 am, and a red alert for the next two days was issued due to heavy rains expected in Delhi. The maximum temperature recorded in Delhi's Safdarjung Observatory was 30.8°C, almost five degrees below the seasonal average.
The air quality index in Delhi stood at 59, falling into the 'satisfactory' category as per the Central Pollution Control Board's national air quality index. This is the best air quality level that Delhi has witnessed in nearly ten months, as the readings have often exceeded 300 levels in the winter pollution period.
Experts credited this fall in the air pollution level to the southwestern monsoon winds, which clean up the pollutants present in the air and help in wind circulation.
However, rain affected the traffic and infrastructure of Delhi-NCR. A tree fell on the Kalkaji-Govindpuri road, obstructing traffic flow for many hours. There was another fallen tree at the National Heart Institute in East of Kailash, besides another one near the Ridge Road close to Rajendra Nagar Gurudwara.
Subsidence of the road was also reported near Atal Chowk, Vasundhara area in Ghaziabad, where a car and a scooter fell into the pit that was created due to the poor infrastructure of the area. As per the official statements, the erosion of the road happened due to the waterlogged condition.
Waterlogging was also observed in Indirapuram, Abhay Khand, Sadar Bazar, and Mewla Maharajpur areas of Faridabad, causing trouble to the shops and commuters residing in those low-lying areas. An independent weather forecasting company called Skymet has forecasted that there are chances of rain up to 180 mm – 250 mm in Ghaziabad, Noida, East Delhi, Baghpat, and Meerut.
However, due to the rain showers, the district magistrate of Ghaziabad ordered all the schools up to Class 12 to be closed on Thursday. The schools up to Class 8 were also closed in Mathura and Hathras.
According to IMD, there will be widespread rainfall in Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, and the western parts of UP till July 10. Thunderstorms and lightning may occur in some districts.
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