Delhi woke up to a cleaner sky on Friday after rain and steady winds a day before washed away pollutants.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) settled at 88, placing it in the ‘Satisfactory’ category, breaking a 21-day streak of ‘Moderate’ AQI readings since September 12.

While 2022 was the last time when a better AQI, at 66, was recorded in October, Friday was the first time since September 10 when the AQI had touched 80 this year.

On Thursday, the Capital had recorded an AQI of 114. As per Delhi Pollution Control Committee data, Nehru Nagar reported PM10 levels of 117 µg/m³ at 10 pm, while PM2.5 levels had spiked to 72 µg/m³ at 7 pm. The prescribed standards are 100 µg/m³ for PM10 and 60 µg/m³ for PM2.5.

Meteorologists

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