A thick blanket of fog descended upon Delhi and its surrounding areas on Saturday, reducing visibility to as low as 50 meters and causing disruption to air and rail travel. The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) was able to function without any disruptions as the low visibility procedures were in place, however, more than 100 flights and some trains were delayed on Friday due to the visibility being zero. Advisories were issued about flights that were not fitted with CAT III technology that enables them to fly through fog, asking passengers to confirm with their airlines for information regarding rescheduling or delays to flights.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded a visibility of zero in parts of Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Noida with high pollution levels in the air. This visibility only improved slightly by morning. By 9:30 Pm the visibility in Safdarjung reached 200 meters and the minimum temperature was reported at 7.7 degrees Celsius, quite normal for the season, but on Friday the Air Quality index had reported a hovering rate of around 409, showcasing a ‘severe’ level of pollution, but and dropping only to 397 by evening.
The weather conditions also contributed to the malfunctioning of roads. In Hapur, a collision of three caused a seven-vehicle overlap, while two UPSRTCs in Sultanpur died in the collision with a truck due to lack of sight visibility. According to the predictions made by the Weather Department, there will be light rain showers and thunderstorm conditions this weekend which might clear up the fog and pollution to some extent.
Meanwhile, Punjab and Haryana also grappled with dense fog. Amritsar reported zero visibility, with similar conditions in Chandigarh, Ludhiana, and Karnal. The Centre’s Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) reimposed Stage 3 pollution curbs, including bans on non-essential construction, as unfavorable weather worsened Delhi-NCR’s air quality.
While residents braved the biting cold and smoggy haze, the coming rain could bring temporary relief to the region battling the dual challenges of fog and severe pollution.
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