India, March 9 -- An uptick in wind speeds led to a sudden bettering of Delhi's pollution levels on Saturday as the city's air quality improved to the "moderate" zone.

After seven straight days of "moderate" air, Delhi's pollution levels had deteriorated to the "poor" zone on Friday due to a drop in wind speed, as the city recorded an average air quality index (AQI) reading of 202, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's daily national bulletin. However, the winds picked up again on Saturday, as the AQI improved to 158 (moderate).

"The wind speed was around 10-15 kmph on Saturday, with occasional gusts of 20 kmph, which is enough for dispersal of pollutants," Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet, said.

Meanwhile, Delhi's...