Rain Brings Much-Needed Respite To Delhi-NCR Amid Severe Pollution Level

Amid severe pollution level, that prompted the EPCA to declare public health emergency, brought the much-needed respite to Delhi-NCR on Saturday. Soon after it started drizzling, residents of Delhi-NCR took to social media to share their joy and pictures.

"As predicted by #Skymetweather light rain with thunderstorms can be seen in pockets of #DelhiNCR.We are hopeful that tomorrow onwards we might see some improvement in the Air Quality of Delhi," tweeted Skymet Weather Service.

As predicted by #Skymetweather light rain with thunderstorms can be seen in pockets of #DelhiNCR.
We are hopeful that tomorrow onwards we might see some improvement in the Air Quality of Delhi.#DelhiAirEmergency #DelhiAirQuality #DelhiChokes #DelhiBachao #Delhi #DelhiSmog

— SkymetWeather (@SkymetWeather) November 2, 2019

Rain hits Delhi-NCR |This is how nitizens reacted on Twitter:

Finally Its Raining in Delhi😊😊

Thank God rain came on 2nd November instead of 4th November, otherwise @ArvindKejriwal would have given credit of pollution reduction due to rain to his #OddEven 😂😂#DelhiAirEmergency #DelhiBachao

— Naveen Gupta (@NaveenGupta17) November 2, 2019

Raining in Delhi .Pollutants acted as a condensation nuclei and hence Delhi is having rainfall , NATURE HAS ITS OWN SOLUTION. WISHING THIS RAIN TO BRING SOME RELIEF .#DelhiBachao #DelhiAirEmergency #rainingindelhi

— 🇮🇳âœÂï¸ÂSamarâš”ï¸ÂDevâš”ï¸ÂChauhanâœÂï¸ÂðŸ‡®ðŸ‡³ (@SamardevChauhan) November 2, 2019

Some bit of rain around Yamuna in Delhi. Hopefully some respite from pollution#natureagainstpollutedair #dnd #Delhi pic.twitter.com/GMtbasppxW

— Abhishek Sharma (@abhi85s) November 2, 2019

Finally it's raining in Delhi.
Delhi Rains 🌧🌧
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.#DelhiChokes #DelhiPollution #DelhiAirQuality #Delhi #NewDelhi #DelhiSmog #Pollution #AirQuality #GasChamber #AirPollution#AirQualityIndex #Smog #GasChamberDelhi #Rain#DelhiRains #Haryana #Punjab#StubbleBurning pic.twitter.com/x9Qpvdfkhh

— Gandharv Sharma (@_gandharv_) November 2, 2019

Pollution levels in Delhi and neighbouring cities dropped marginally on Saturday with a slight increase in the wind speed, a day after the region recorded its worst air quality forcing authorities to shut schools, ban all construction activities and declare a public health emergency.

The city's overall air quality index (AQI) stood at 407 at 10 am. It was 484 at 4 pm on Friday, according to official data.

In the National Capital Region (NCR), Ghaziabad and Greater Noida recorded AQIs of 459 and 452, respectively, at 10 am on Saturday. On Friday, they had an AQI of 496 at 4 pm, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said.

The levels of PM2.5 -- tiny particulate matter of less than 2.5 microns in diameter that can enter the lungs and even the bloodstream, were 269 micrograms per cubic meter at 10 am, more than four times the safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic meter. The PM10 level was at 436, showed official data.

Weather experts said there is a significant improvement in wind speed and it will increase gradually. Winds gusting up to 20-25 kilometers per hour are likely in the region from Sunday to Tuesday, they said.

Scattered rainfall in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi is likely on November 7 and 8 under the influence of Cyclone Maha and a fresh western disturbance, the weather office said.