Rain Knocks Delhi On Christmas Eve But Santa Will Have To Bear With 'Very Poor' Air

New Delhi: Light rain added a wintry charm to Delhi-NCR on Tuesday evening, Christmas Eve with temperature dropping to 9.9 degrees Celsius, but Santa Claus might struggle with the city's 'very poor' air quality. 

Drizzles were observed in several parts of the national capital, including Connaught Place, Noida and Gurugram that led to massive traffic snarls across the NCR.

Earlier in the day, Delhi woke up to a frosty morning with the minimum temperature settling at 7.0 degrees Celsius. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted further drops in temperatures across Delhi-NCR, Punjab , Haryana , and Rajasthan over the next two days. 

A western disturbance over Punjab and nearby regions is likely to bring light rain or even snowfall to isolated parts of the western Himalayan region, adding to the cooling trend in the plains.

The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 369, prompting a partial relaxation of Stage 4 curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). 

Delhi's air pollution levels showed a declining trend on Tuesday and the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 369 at 4 pm.

​According to forecasts from the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the air quality situation is predicted to improve further, owing to favourable meteorological conditions.

Stage IV curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) ​include a ban on all construction activities, entry of non-essential polluting trucks into Delhi, and mandatory shifting of school classes, except for classes 10 and 12, to hybrid mode. 

All construction activities, including highways, roads, flyovers, power lines, pipelines and other public projects, were suspended. 

The CAQM recommended that offices in the National Capital Region (NCR) work at 50 per cent capacity, with the rest working from home.

The Delhi government asked all schools to discontinue physical classes for all students, except those in classes 10 and 12.

An AQI of 400 or higher is deemed 'severe' and it can have an adverse effect on both healthy individuals and people who already have medical conditions.

First implemented in 2017, the GRAP is a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in the capital and its vicinity according to the severity of the situation.

It classifies the air quality in the Delhi-NCR under four different stages: Stage 1 - 'poor' (AQI 201-300), Stage 2 - 'very poor' (AQI 301-400), Stage 3 - 'severe' (AQI 401-450) and Stage 4 - 'severe plus' (AQI above 450).