Dense fog shrouds Delhi-NCR, disrupts flight operations; AQI remains in very poor category
The dense fog led to low visibility in several areas, affecting road traffic and prompting morning commuters to drive slowly and exercise caution on major arterial roads and highways connecting Delhi with neighbouring cities.
New Delhi: A thick layer of fog enveloped large parts of Delhi-NCR on Saturday morning, significantly reducing visibility and disrupting traffic across the region. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), dense fog conditions prevailed over the city based on the 6 am observation.
The dense fog led to low visibility in several areas, affecting road traffic and prompting morning commuters to drive slowly and exercise caution on major arterial roads and highways connecting Delhi with neighbouring cities, such as Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Noida.
Fog disrupts flights
The flight operations at the Delhi airport were also disrupted due to the dense fog with several flights getting delayed and cancelled. The Delhi airport issued a travel advisory saying that low visibility procedure are in progress. It also advised passengers to contact their respective airlines for the latest flight updates.
Meanwhile, IndiGo said that low visibility and fog over Ranchi, Jammu and Hindon (Airport) may impact flight schedules.
"We are closely monitoring the weather and doing our best to get you where you need to be, safely and smoothly. We look forward to clearer skies and a swift return to our regular schedule. Thank you for your patience and understanding," it said in a travel advisory.
Air India also issued a similar advisory and said that flight operations are likely to be affected at Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Varanasi, and Patna, with a ripple effect across the network, as the weather department has forecast dense fog conditions in Delhi and parts of northern and eastern India.
The Civil Aviation Ministry on Friday directed airlines to strictly comply with facilitation requirements for passengers and ensure adequate staffing at airports amid flight disruptions due to fog and low visibility conditions.
AQI in very poor category
Besides dense fog, a thick blanket of toxic air also engulfed Delhi-NCR this morning with Air Quality Index (AQI) in the region plunging to 380 which falls in the "very poor" category. The AQI crossed 400 in several areas as the air quality slipped into "severe" category.
The dense fog and deteriorating air quality is going to worsen Delhi's air over the weekend despite the implementation of stringent pollution-control measures.
The weather department has predicted fog and a further drop in temperature over the next three days.