Delhi : suffers from “severe” air quality, as the city is covered in a heavy blanket of pollution

Delhi: A deadly mixture of heavy fog and extreme air pollution enveloped the nation’s capital, pushing the Air Quality Index (AQI) beyond 400 and drastically lowering visibility as Delhi awoke to yet another dangerous winter morning.

The national capital was engulfed in dense pollution on Monday morning; by 7 a.m., the total AQI was 402, firmly falling into the “severe” category.

More over half of Delhi’s air quality monitoring stations recorded pollution levels above 400, indicating highly dangerous conditions in several areas of the city.

Twenty-five of the forty monitoring sites recorded “severe” AQI readings.

The most contaminated area was Vivek Vihar, with an AQI of 458, followed by Anand Vihar (459), Wazirpur (444), and Rohini (445). PM2.5, or fine particulate matter, continued to be the predominant contaminant.

There was no data available from the Lodhi Road and RK Puram stations.

Dense fog significantly decreased visibility across Delhi and the neighboring areas, exacerbating the pollution problem.

Between 5:31 and 8:31 a.m., the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a “red alert” for very intense fog in most areas of the city, asking people to drive carefully, use fog lights, avoid needless travel, and shield their faces while going outside.

Late Sunday evening saw a dramatic decline in visibility, which persisted until the morning hours of Monday, delaying traffic and making driving dangerous. Visibility dropped to around 125 meters at Delhi Airport, while runway visibility was between 100 and 150 meters.

“Flight operations are currently being conducted under CAT III conditions due to dense fog, which may result in delays or cancellations,” Delhi Airport said in a passenger notice published on X.

Authorities advised travelers to verify the status of their flights with their individual carriers and cautioned that delays could persist. To help travelers, ground personnel were stationed at various terminals.

Advisories were also issued by a number of airlines. While maintaining that passenger safety is its first concern, IndiGo said that fog and the chilly winter weather at the Delhi and Hindon airports have caused inconsistent visibility and delayed operations. The airline said that there were possibilities for refunds and rebooking and recommended passengers to keep an eye on flight developments.

“The weather forecast for tomorrow morning indicates dense fog with low visibility in parts of northern India, including Delhi, which is likely to impact flight operations,” said Air India in a late-night alert. We’ve made proactive measures to reduce interruptions. However, please know that our ground crews will provide all required support in the case of unforeseen cancellations, diversions, or delays.

A number of trains, including the Rajdhani Express, Vande Bharat, and Jan Shatabdi, were running late as a result of the disruption to rail services.

As officials continue to keep an eye on the changing situation, health experts have recommended citizens to restrict their outside exposure while the air quality remains in the “severe” category.