Dense Fog Shrouds Delhi Amid Orange Alert; AQI Remains ‘Very Poor’
IMD has issued an orange alert in Delhi for today, warning of dense to very dense fog. The air quality in the national capital remained in the "very poor" category.
Delhi woke up to a thick blanket of smog yet again on Saturday as the India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for dense fog for today (December 20). The Delhi Airport also issued an advisory for passenger informing them about flight operations amid foggy conditions.
"Low-visibility procedures are still in progress at Delhi Airport. All flight operations are functioning normally. Passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines for the latest flight updates," the advisory read.
Meanwhile, the air quality index remained "very poor" at 376 as of 6:00 AM, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) has forecast that the AQI is likely to climb into the 400+ “severe” category over the weekend.
"Partly cloudy sky. Dense to very dense fog durign morning hours. Mist/shallow fog during night/early hours," the IMD forecast for Delhi noted.
VIDEO | Delhi: As dense fog shrouds the region, landings and takeoffs at Delhi airport are being managed under CAT III conditions. Several flights delayed, cancelled and rescheduled. #Fog #WeatherUpdate #DelhiAirport
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According to the weather office, 'very dense fog' is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, between 51 and 200 metres is 'dense', between 201 and 500 metres 'moderate', and between 501 and 1,000 metres 'shallow'.
Over 500 Flights Delayed, 177 Cancelled Due To Dense Fog
Dense fog severely disrupted operations at Delhi airport on Friday, leading to the cancellation of at least 177 flights and delays to over 500 others. Officials said the cancellations, covering both arrivals and departures, included several international services. Data from flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed that nearly 500 flights were delayed due to poor visibility.
In a post on X, the civil aviation ministry on Friday said it is closely coordinating with the IMD over the fog issue, and that decisions are being taken based on real-time weather forecasts.
A thick layer of fog shrouded regions from Punjab to Bihar, reducing visiblity across the Indo-Gangetic plains on Friday morning. This prompted the IMD to issue a red alert for Delhi and warning of road, rail, and air traffic disruptions.
An orange alert was also issued for several districts in Uttar Pradesh, including Agra, Aligarh, Baghpat, Bareilly, Bijnor, Bulandshahr, Etah, Etawah, Firozabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Hathras, Mathura, Meerut, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Pilibhit, Rampur, Saharanpur, Shahjahanpur and Shamli.
Uttarakhand, along with Amritsar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Gurdaspur, Patiala and Sangrur in Punjab, were also under an orange alert.
IMD officials said satellite imagery showed a dense fog cover over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, northeast Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
"Residents in the affected regions are advised to stay alert and take necessary precautions, including being careful while driving or travelling by any mode of transport, using fog lights, checking road and traffic conditions, staying in touch with airlines, railways and state transport authorities for travel schedules, avoiding unnecessary travel and following advisories issued by concerned agencies," the IMD said.
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