Winters stir troubles for Indore; city's air quality worsens with a drop in the mercury

Indore's minimum temperature continues to drop, brewing troubles for the air quality of the city with the effect of fog and haze. Though the city was relieved from the blanket of fog on Tuesday morning, the rising haze in Indore locked-in the environmental pollutants, reducing the overall quality of the breathing air. Labelled as 'unhealthy', the city's AQI rose to 163 unit on Tuesday at 11 PM. Reports have suggested that the overall index has averaged beyond the units of 200 since the beginning of this year which raises alarms for all city dwellers, especially the elderly, young children and those with respiratory problems.

Indore weather update

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Tuesday morning was graced with the warm glow of the sun which dissipated the fog rather quickly, raising the visibility to 1000 meters in the city. Besides this, the maximum temperature in the city was also recorded to be 1° below the normal 25° which brought respite the people from the colder temperatures of the previous days. Light drizzles were also witnessed in isolated regions in Indore which remain untracked at the airport weather station. As per forecasts, the city sky will largely remain cloudless, which will result in warmers days and colder nights. Meteorologists have suggested that similar weather conditions will continue in the coming few days.

According to officials, the lowering evening temperatures in the city will increase the levels of air pollution in the city as the fog and mist envelope the city, trapping the escape of the pollutants to escape into the atmosphere. Studies have also explained how air pollution reduces during the day due to the presence of the sun and rising temperatures. These factors suggest that morning walkers and cyclists must wait for the sunrise before they hit the tracks, for exercise in a healthier-pollution free environment.

Real-Time AQI Tracker in Indore

Indore has also installed a real-time monitoring station at the office of the DIG of Police to surveil the AQI round the clock in the city. As per the tracker, the air quality has been falling continuously since January 1, when it was noted to be around 263. The AQI fluctuated over 200 for the next week also. With a dip in this index on Tuesday, district officials rely on temperature-rise during the day, for the city's air quality to re.