📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Fredericknoronha
Weather
Rain clears Delhi's October air, best in four years as IMD warns heavy showers in South and East
✍️ The Indian Express
🗓 01 Nov 2026, 06:59 AM
👁 16
Rainfall in Delhi has driven down pollutant levels, delivering the cleanest October air quality in four years, while the India Meteorological Department predicts heavy showers across the southern and eastern regions.
Rainfall across Delhi this week has significantly lowered airborne pollutants, resulting in the cleanest October air quality reading the capital has recorded in the past four years. The improvement was noted by monitoring stations that reported a sharp drop in particulate matter concentrations, bringing the Air Quality Index down to levels typically seen in the pre-monsoon season.
Environmental experts attribute the rapid decline in pollution to the recent showers, which helped wash away dust and suspended particles from the atmosphere. The cleaner air has been welcomed by residents who have endured prolonged periods of smog during the autumn months.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued forecasts of heavy to very heavy rainfall for several states in the southern and eastern parts of the country over the coming days. Meteorologists warn that the intense precipitation could lead to localized flooding and advise the public to stay alert.
Authorities in Delhi have welcomed the temporary reprieve in air quality but caution that sustained improvements will require continued emission controls and public cooperation.
The IMD’s outlook underscores the broader climatic pattern of the season, where the monsoon’s retreat often brings sporadic but intense rain events across the subcontinent.
Environmental experts attribute the rapid decline in pollution to the recent showers, which helped wash away dust and suspended particles from the atmosphere. The cleaner air has been welcomed by residents who have endured prolonged periods of smog during the autumn months.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued forecasts of heavy to very heavy rainfall for several states in the southern and eastern parts of the country over the coming days. Meteorologists warn that the intense precipitation could lead to localized flooding and advise the public to stay alert.
Authorities in Delhi have welcomed the temporary reprieve in air quality but caution that sustained improvements will require continued emission controls and public cooperation.
The IMD’s outlook underscores the broader climatic pattern of the season, where the monsoon’s retreat often brings sporadic but intense rain events across the subcontinent.