Dust cover over Delhi due to strong winds, chances of rain till evening

Dust blowing due to strong winds has affected the air quality in Delhi on Tuesday (May 16, 2023) morning. This reduced visibility to 1000 metres. Meteorologists say that due to the scorching heat and lack of rain, the soil is dry, due to which this has happened. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that in the pictures taken from the satellite, it was seen that the northwestern part of India was covered with a thick sheet of dust.

Weathermen said dry soil due to scorching heat and no rain and strong winds since midnight affected the air quality this morning. Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre, said, “Delhi witnessed a strong dust blowing wind in the morning. The wind speed was 30-35 kmph, which dropped to 12 kmph at 9 am. The wind speed is expected to reduce further during the day, due to which the dust particles will settle in the soil.

Visibility level was recorded at 1,100 meters at 9 am at Palam observatory near Indira Gandhi Airport, IMD senior scientist RK Janamani said. A day before this, the visibility level was 4,000 meters at 9 am on Monday. Senior IMD official VK Soni said, “The dust concentration has increased manifold. The PM10 concentration increased from 140 micrograms per cubic meter in the morning to 775 micrograms per cubic meter at 8 am. It has happened due to strong winds, but it will settle down by afternoon.”

This situation is not at all good for health as fine particles of dust will enter the respiratory system when inhaled. This can cause lungs and respiratory problems. At the same time, for people suffering from asthma, bronchitis and allergies, the problem can increase further. On the other hand, the heat level is also increasing day by day. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 27.4 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal and the maximum temperature is expected to hover around 40 degrees Celsius.

In Delhi, the maximum temperature has crossed 40 for the last four days, due to which the heat level has increased significantly. According to the IMD, there may be some respite by the evening with partly cloudy sky and very light rain. The IMD estimates that the maximum temperature could reach 44 degrees Celsius by Sunday.