This Article is From Dec 20, 2022

Video: Dense Fog In Delhi, Airport Launches Low Visibility Plan

The air quality index around IGI airport today is 378, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

The air quality in the capital in the past days has also been in the "very poor" category.

New Delhi:

As mercury continues to drop in north India, Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport was covered by a thick layer of fog on Tuesday morning.

In a pre-sunrise video captured by a traveler while boarding a plane, aircrafts on the tarmac can be seen engulfed by thick fog with the visibility extending to only a few meters.

The Delhi Airport also tweeted a fog alert at 4.30 am, cautioning passengers about low visibility procedures being implemented. "Low Visibility Procedures are in progress at Delhi Airport. All flight operations are presently normal. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information," the tweet read.

The MeT department reported the visibility in Delhi's Safdurjung area at 50 metres at 5.30 am. Satellite imagery showed dense to very dense fog in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, North Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, it stated.


As the capital's air quality continues to fall, the heavy layer of smog also led to low visibility on the roads for commuters. Visuals shared by residents of the national capital show a blanket of fog hovering over the roads on early Tuesday morning. 

Skymet Weather's Mahesh Palawat also updated the public on low visibility and urged travelers to check if their flights have been cancelled due to fog before leaving. 

Fog also caused delays in rail travel in and around the capital. On Tuesday, 11 trains were reported running late by one to five hours. 

The weather department said long exposures to fog can cause wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath in people having asthma bronchitis. It could also lead to eye irritation or infection.

It suggested that travellers carry essential items like water and medicine on long journeys.

The Sadarjung Observatory, the primary weather station in Delhi, recorded a minimum temperature of 6.3 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 22 degrees Celsius.

Yesterday on the Greater Noida Eastern Peripheral Highway (EPH), heavy fog was the suspected cause of a car pile-up and an accident which left many people injured. 

The air quality in the capital in the past days has been in the "very poor" category. The air quality index around IGI airport today is 378, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR). The Air Quality Index from 0 to 100 is considered as good, while from 100 to 200 it is moderate, from 200 to 300 it is poor, and from 300 to 400 it is said to be very poor and from 400 to 500 or above it is considered as severe.

Meanwhile, in the capital's north, near the University of Delhi, the air quality recorded is in the "severe" category, at 445, according to SAFAR. Delhi enjoyed moderate air quality last week, with the index taking a dip over the weekend.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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