Delhi may get a respite from 'severe' pollution level caused by dust storms as the India Meteorological Department has predicted that the national capital is likley to receive a light rainfall today.
Delhi has been reeling under a haze of dust brought by winds from Rajasthan which has raised the air pollution level to "severe".
Yesterday, the air pollution situation in Delhi improved when compared to a day before. The ban on civil construction activities will continue today. Today's rain should settle the toxic dust particles in the air.
The Met department said the monsoon was hovering over Maharashtra in the west and parts of Odisha, West Bengal and Assam in east and northeast India. Any further advance of the monsoon is unlikely during next 6-7 days due to the prevalence of a weak pattern, it said.
The weatherman forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places in Konkan & Goa and heavy rain at some places in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam & Meghalaya, sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, Madhya Maharashtra and coastal Karnataka today.
The IMD said dust storm or thunderstorm is "very likely" at a few places over Rajasthan. Dust storms this week in western India have led to a thick haze and increased the presence of ultra-fine pollutants in the air in the Delhi-NCR region. The dust storm in Rajasthan yesterday led to cancellation of a Bikaner-New Delhi flight.
Rainfall in parts of Punjab and Haryana, including Chandigarh, cleared the haze blanket, while flight operations hit in the two states due to low-visibility resumed yesterday.The maximum temperature dropped by a few notches after rainfall in the two states. The rainfall brought cheers to paddy growers, readying their fields for transplanting paddy.
A few places in western and eastern Uttar Pradesh are likely to experience rain or thunderstorm today, the MeT department in Lucknow said. The day temperature was above the normal in Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur and Moradabad divisions on Saturday.
(With inputs from PTI)
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