Air quality falls as winter settles in Pune

The city on Wednesday morning recorded 13.7 degree Celsius and air quality fell from satisfactory to moderate level with PM 2.5 and PM 10 particle levels crossing the tolerable limit at recorded 161 ugm3 and 107 ugm3 at Shivajinagar respectively. The air quality index (AQI) categories are 0-50 (good), 51-100 (satisfactory), 101-200 (moderate), 201-300 (poor), 301-400 (very poor) and 401 and above (severe).

According to ministry of earth sciences’ system of air quality weather forecasting and research (Safar), the city’s air quality index (AQI) reading for Wednesday morning at Shivajinagar showed PM 2.5 (particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) level by almost three time higher than tolerable limit at 118 ugm3 and PM10 (particles in the air with a diameter of less than 10 micrometres) at 105 ugm3 at Manjari. India meteorological department recorded city’s maximum temperature at 32.6 degree Celsius and minimum at 13.7 degree Celsius on Wednesday.

Post Diwali this year, despite Supreme Court’s ban on the selling of firecrackers and guidelines regarding bursting them beyond a certain time limit, the air quality index (AQI) in the Pune rose significantly.

IMD has forecast the minimum temperature to remain around 13 to 14 degrees Celsius for the next five days in Pune and adjoining areas, while the maximum temperature may touch the 33.5 degrees Celsius mark.