Dense Fog Likely In These Northern States For Next 24 Hours, Met Department Warns Of Health Hazards

Dense fog conditions are likely to continue in northern India over the next 24 hours.

The foggy condition in northern India is likely to continue at least till Thursday, a notification by the India Meteorological Department stated. “Dense to very dense fog conditions likely to continue in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Uttar Pradesh over the next 24 hours,” the notification read. 

According to the notification, due to moisture and light winds in the lower levels of the atmosphere over the Indo-Gangetic plains, dense to very dense fog in many pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in the night and morning hours during next 24 hours.  

Dense fog in isolated pockets in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, north Rajasthan, Bihar, north Bengal and Sikkim, south Assam, Manipur, and Tripura is also likely over the next two days. 

Meanwhile, cold wave conditions are very likely in isolated pockets over Punjab, Haryana, and north Rajasthan from December 23-25. 

Dense fog has been a cause for concern in north India this winter as states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi reported several road accidents, including pile-ups, due to low visibility. Several lives have also been lost in these accidents.

Due to the regular fog-related accidents, the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation on Tuesday decided to stop the night operations of its buses. No bus will run after midnight. If buses experience difficulty in  plying before that, they can halt for the night at the nearest bus depot. UPSRTC officials will be stationed at the depots to assist passengers.

The weather office also warned about the effects of fog on health. “Dense fog contains particulate matter and other pollutants and in case exposed it gets lodged in the lungs, clogging them and decreasing their functional capacity which increases episodes of wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath,” the notification said. 

“Long-time exposure to dense fog may cause respiratory problem for people having asthma bronchitis and other lung-related health problems. Dense fog contains pollutions of various types and these Pollutants in the air if exposed may tend to irritate the membranes of the eye causing various infections leading to redness or swelling of the eye,” it added.