India’s capital Delhi and neighbouring regions once again woke up to a thick blanket of fog on Friday as most parts of North India remains in the grip of a severe cold wave. There was zero visibility in the morning which has been massively impacting traffic movement on roads and highways apart from delaying and cancelling several flights and trains.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) deteriorated to the severe category, recording a level of 409.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the last time visibility dropped to zero in Delhi was on January 2 and 3 for nine consecutive hours, the longest stretch recorded this winter season.
Yellow alert has been sounded in the national capital for Friday by the Regional Weather Forecasting Center (RWFC) Delhi.
The weather department has predicted fog is most places on Friday morning and cloudy sky and shallow to moderate fog expected in the evening as well as night.
Delhi’s minimum temperature on Friday is expected to be 6 degree Celsius, while the maximum temperature is expected to be around 20 degree Celsius.
As blinding fog engulfed Delhi-NCR, more than 100 flights were delayed on Friday morning alone due to low visibility.
Around 4:30 am, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport issued an advisory, warning passengers that flight operations may be disrupted on Friday due to zero visibility.
In its latest advisory issued around 8:30 am, the Delhi airport said, “While landings and take offs continue, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information.”
IndiGo in a post on X asked passengers to stay updated on flight status before heading to the airport.
Air India too posted on X asking passengers to check the flight status before heading to the airport as the visibility remains poor in Delhi and some North Indian cities due to dense fog.
SpiceJet also issued an advisory for passengers stating, “Due to expected bad weather (poor visibility) in Delhi (DEL), Amritsar (ATQ), Jammu (IXJ), Darbhanga (DBR) and Bagdogra (IXB), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights might get affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status.”
Apart from Delhi, similar conditions were reported at several other airports in North India, including Agra, Chandigarh, Ranchi, Lucknow, and Amritsar.
As per the Indian Railways, 26 trains to Delhi were delayed, with some running 7-8 hours behind schedule.
Among affected are several long-distance trains, including Balurghat-Bhatinda Farakka Express, Hyderabad-New Delhi Telangana Express, Lucknow Mail, New Delhi Humsafar Express, Nanded-Shri Ganganagar Superfast, and UP Sampark Kranti.
The Centre’s panel on Delhi-NCR’s air quality 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.
The air pollution levels in Delhi showed an increasing trend with the 24-hour average AQI clocking 357 at 4 pm, up from 297 on Wednesday, owing to “calm winds and foggy conditions.”
With inputs from agencies.
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Blinding fog in Delhi delays over 100 flights, 26 trains; zero visibility at airport
