Widespread Dense Fog Disrupts 110 Flights and 25 Trains in Delhi, Visibility Drops to Near Zero”

More than 110 flights were impacted at Delhi airport due to thick fog enveloping northern India on Wednesday morning, reducing visibility to just 25 meters and disrupting traffic movement. The weather office issued a red alert for “very dense fog” in the national capital amid ongoing cold wave conditions. Additionally, 25 trains bound for Delhi are experiencing delays, according to Northern Railways. Widespread fog led to several accidents in Uttar Pradesh, including a fatal collision on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway that claimed one life and left 12 others injured. In Bareilly, a high-speed truck collided with a house near the Bareilly-Sultanpur highway.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted “dense to very dense fog conditions” over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, UP, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. 

In Delhi, the Safgarjung observatory recorded a visibility level of 50 metres while at the Safdarjung observatory near the Indira Gandhi International Airport it dropped to just 25 metres. However, commuters reported even lower visibility in several parts of the national capital. 

Apart from Delhi, cities in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab saw reduced visibility due to dense haze. In Haryana’s Hisar and Karnal, visibility dropped to 25 metres while in Agra, Bareilly and Bhatinda it reached zero.

After enjoying several weeks of relatively good air quality, the city experienced a significant deterioration in air conditions. The average Air Quality Index (AQI) plummeted to 381, categorized as “very poor.” Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 7 degrees Celsius, and the maximum is expected to reach 24 degrees Celsius.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported Anand Vihar in Delhi with a high AQI of 441, while Lodhi Road in central Delhi recorded an AQI of 327. The IGI airport registered an air quality of 368. Neighboring areas like Ghaziabad and Noida recorded AQI levels of 336 and 363, respectively. According to forecasts, the air quality is anticipated to deteriorate further in the coming week.

As per the meteorological office, very dense fog is characterized by visibility ranging from 0 to 50 meters, while 51 to 200 meters is considered dense, 201 to 500 meters is moderate, and 501 to 1,000 meters is shallow.