Delhi Pollution: 37 Flights Diverted From Airport Due To Low Visibility Caused By Dense Smog

Pollution levels in Delhi and satellite towns shot up again on Sunday morning, with the air quality bordering the 'severe plus' category at several places.

Image: PTI

New Delhi: As many as 37 flights were diverted on Sunday due to low visibility at Delhi airport, as the national capital region struggled with visibility and toxic pollutants in its air. “Due to low visibility, flight operations at Delhi Airport are affected. All CAT-II compliant pilots are able to operate. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is regretted,” Delhi Airport updated passengers in a tweet.

"Due to low visibility at Delhi Airport, 37 flights were diverted between 9 am and 1 pm to places including Jaipur, Amritsar and Lucknow among others, today. As of now, the visibility has improved," airport stated in another tweet. 

An Air India spokesperson said, "Due to bad weather, flight operations affected since morning 9 am in T3 airport (Delhi). Twelve flights are diverted to Jaipur, Amritsar and Lucknow." When asked if it can be said that "bad weather" is actually the pollution, the spokesperson replied in affirmative. Pollution levels in Delhi and satellite towns shot up again on Sunday morning, with the air quality bordering the 'severe plus' category at several places. A slight increase in the wind speed and a light drizzle on Saturday had led a drop in pollution levels with the air quality index settling at 399 in the evening. However, weather experts said pollution levels shot up overnight due to calm winds leading to accumulation of pollutants. At 1:30 pm  Delhi's AQI read 822. On Friday, the city recorded the 24-hour AQI average of 484, which prompted authorities to shut schools, ban all construction activities and declare a "public health emergency". An AQI between 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor' and 401-500 'severe'. Above 500 falls in the 'severe plus' category. NASA satellite imagery showed vast swathes of the northern plains, covering Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and parts of Jharkhand and West Bengal, blanketed under a smoky haze. Delhi is pinning hopes on meteorological relief with the weatherman saying winds gusting up to 20-25 kilometers per hour are likely to prevail in the region from Sunday evening to Tuesday. Scattered rainfall in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi is likely on November 7 and 8 under the influence of Cyclone Maha and a fresh western disturbance. This rainfall, however light, will be significant in terms of reducing the effect of stubble burning and washing away pollutants, officials said. (additional inputs from PTI)