PUNE: Sharp showers on Friday not only brought the much-needed relief from humid days, but also improved the citys air quality to "satisfactory" from the "moderate" category.The PM10 and PM2.5 levels dipped below the maximum permissible limits, recording at 88 gm-3 and 55 gm-3, respectively. The city was grappling with air pollution for days, exacerbated by the rising pollution levels and humidity.Shivajinagar got 27.5 mm of rain, Pashan 45 mm, Koregaon Park 44 mm, Wadgaonsheri 38.5 mm, Chinchwad 32.5mm and Lohegaon 15 mm.Anupam Kashyapi, head of the weather forecasting division, IMD Pune, told TOI, "The southeasterly/east-southeasterly winds continued to bring moisture over south-central Maharashtra. Regions such as Goa, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli and Solapur were expected to experience isolated thunderstorms and light rain. Intense rainfall occurred in Pune on Friday. However, the rain would sharply reduce from Saturday, accompanied by a drop in night temperatures starting from the night of November 11."The rain was a dampener for Diwali shoppers and traders, particularly those who have set up firecraker stalls.Reflecting on Fridays weather conditions, Kashyapi said, "The cloud development indicated light thunder, one-two light or moderate intense spells and light to moderate rain. The rain continued for about one-and-a-half hours. A moderate to intense spell of rain was predicted over areas of Pune city and district. The southeasterly to east-southeasterly winds brought significant moisture over the state, resulting in the light to moderate rain over Pune."The sharp showers not only provided respite from the prolonged dry spell, but also had a positive impact on the citys air quality. When it rains, several mechanisms contribute to the reduction of pollution levels. The intense spell caused heavy waterlogging in some patches. Waterlogging was observed on National Highway 735 F near the Yerawada traffic police station heading towards Shivajinagar. Water reached up to the height of car tyres. Traffic came to a slow halt at various points on the highway.A wall between a housing society and the nullah at Balajinagar caved in on Friday evening due to the rain. A car, parked near the wall, rolled down till the nullah along with debris. No one was injured in the incident. Fire officer of the Pune Fire brigade Pradip Khedekar told TOI, "The car was parked near the wall for two days. The wall was constructed by the Pune Municipal Corporation between the nullah and the society." Another officer from the fire brigade said, no major incidents were reported due to rain except waterlogging.

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