Delhi-NCR Weather: Dense Fog And Severe Air Pollution Disrupt Flights, Trains, Roads

Moderate to dense fog continued to envelop parts of Delhi and its surrounding areas on Saturday, leading the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) to issue multiple advisories overnight, urging passengers to contact their respective airlines for updates on flight statuses.

The fog reduced visibility to zero in parts of Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida, and other areas of the National Capital Region (NCR) on Friday as well, causing over 100 flights and several trains to be delayed.

Photo Credit: PTI

The dense fog coincided with worsening air quality in Delhi, which reached the 'severe' category on Friday. The Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed 400 in the early hours and settled at 397 by 4 pm.

Delhi-NCR Dense Fog | Key Updates

Flight and Train Delays in Delhi: Dense fog was reported in parts of Delhi on Saturday morning, following zero-visibility conditions on Friday that caused delays for over 100 flights and numerous trains. Starting at 10:43 pm on Friday, IGI airport issued several advisories, urging passengers to check flight statuses with their airlines, particularly for flights not equipped with CAT III technology, which enables operations in low visibility conditions.

Rain Expected This Weekend: On Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 17.6°C, slightly below the normal, and a minimum of 6°C, nearly one degree below normal. The IMD has forecast a cloudy sky with light rain and thunderstorms over the weekend, along with dense fog in the mornings.

Air Quality Index (AQI): Delhi's AQI stood at 409 at 6 am on Friday before dropping slightly to 397 by 4 pm, categorised as "very poor" by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The AQI ranges from 0-50 for "good," 51-100 for "satisfactory," 101-200 for "moderate," 201-300 for "poor," 301-400 for "very poor," and 401-500 for "severe."

Stage 3 GRAP Restrictions: The central panel monitoring Delhi-NCR's air quality reinstated Stage 3 anti-pollution measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Thursday due to a sharp increase in pollution levels attributed to adverse meteorological conditions.

Fog in Punjab and Haryana: Dense fog also blanketed other regions of northern India on Friday, including Punjab and Haryana. Visibility dropped to zero in Amritsar, according to the meteorological department. Foggy conditions were also reported in Ludhiana, Patiala, Chandigarh, Ambala, Hisar, and Karnal.

Fog-Related Accidents: The poor visibility caused multiple accidents on Friday. These included a seven-vehicle collision on the Delhi highway near Babugarh in Hapur, injuring three individuals.

In a separate incident in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur, a conductor and driver of a UPSRTC bus lost their lives after their vehicle collided with a truck while overtaking in dense fog, police reported.