Parts of Delhi and the surrounding areas were still covered in moderate to severe fog on Saturday, which prompted the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) to issue several advisories during the night advising travelers to check the status of their flights by contacting the relevant airline.
More than 100 flights and some trains were delayed on Friday as a result of fog that reduced visibility to zero in sections of Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida, and other parts of the national capital region. The thick fog coincides with Delhi’s declining air quality, which on Friday hit a “severe” level. The Air Quality Index peaked at 400 in the morning and dropped to 397 at 4 p.m.
On Saturday morning, dense fog was observed in some areas of Delhi. On this day, there was no visibility, which caused 100 flights and multiple trains to be delayed. Beginning around 10:43 p.m. on Friday, passengers at Delhi’s IGI airport received many alerts urging them to verify the status of their flights with airlines due to potential effects on aircraft that do not comply with CAT III, which permits operations in low visibility. Delhi had a maximum temperature of 17.6 degrees Celsius on Friday, which was 0.9 degrees below average, and a minimum temperature of 6 degrees Celsius, which was 0.9 degrees below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department. Over the weekend, the IMD had forecast a cloudy sky with light showers, thunderstorms, and dense fog in some places in the morning.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was 409 at 6 am on Friday and settled at 397 at 4 pm, the “very poor”, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered “good,” 51-100 “satisfactory,” 101-200 “moderate,” 201-300 “poor,” 301-400 “very poor,” and 401-500 “severe.” The Centre’s panel on Delhi-NCR’s air quality on Thursday reimposed stage 3 anti-pollution curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) amid a sharp rise in air pollution levels owing to unfavourable meteorological conditions.
Other parts of north India, mostly Punjab and Haryana, were also covered in a dense layer of fog on Friday. The meteorological department reported that Amritsar had no visibility due to heavy fog. Additionally, Ludhiana, Patiala, Chandigarh, Ambala, Hisar, and Karnal all saw fog. Numerous accidents occurred on Friday as a result of the foggy conditions that restricted visibility. One of them involved seven vehicles colliding on the Delhi highway in the Babugarh area of Hapur, resulting in three injuries. In another incident, a UPSRTC bus driver and conductor were killed Friday morning in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, when their vehicle struck a truck while trying to pass in heavy fog, according to authorities.
