Delhi and several states in northern India, including the National Capital Region, were engulfed in dense fog on Tuesday. Thick fog covered Delhi and its surrounding areas since morning, affecting air and rail traffic. The visibility level at Palam Weather Centre in Delhi was recorded to be less than 50 meters in the morning. The maximum temperature in the capital was 23.8 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature was 07 degrees Celsius, breaking records. Eleven flights scheduled to land at Delhi’s airport had to be diverted to Jaipur and one to Lucknow. Additionally, around 20 trains were delayed.
The director of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Kuldeep Srivastava, explained that the recent impact of the western disturbance led to increased moisture in the environment and slower wind speed, resulting in the fog. The weather office predicts that the situation of fog is likely to persist for the next few days, although the level of moisture is expected to decrease after two days.
Due to the dense fog in Delhi on Tuesday morning, traffic was disrupted. Poor visibility caused inconvenience to commuters on roads, railways, and air services. Officials at the airport reported difficulties in landing aircrafts due to the fog, with a total of 30 flights being affected at Delhi Airport. The air quality index (AQI) in eight areas of the capital was recorded to be in the severe category. The level of pollution is expected to worsen in the coming days.
Since the second week of October, Delhiites have been breathing polluted air. After October 20, there hasn’t been a single day when the air quality has been clear. Most of the days during this period, the air quality has been categorized as poor, very poor, severe, or severe-plus. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the average AQI on Tuesday was above 377, which falls in the severe category. On Monday, it was 383, with only a slight improvement of six points in 24 hours. However, the air quality is still in the severe category. Concerningly, eight areas in Delhi on Tuesday had an AQI above 400, which is classified as severe. According to the early warning system of air quality, the wind speed is expected to be less than 10 kilometers per hour for the next two days.
दिल्ली-एनसीआर और उत्तर भारत के कई राज्यों में आज घने कोहरे की वजह से मौसम खराब रहा। दिल्ली और आसपास के इलाकों में सुबह से ही घना कोहरा छाया हुआ है जिसके कारण हवाई और रेल यातायात प्रभावित हुआ। दिल्ली में सुबह दृश्यता का स्तर 50 मीटर से भी कम दर्ज किया गया है। दिल्ली में अधिकतम तापमान 23.8 डिग्री और न्यूनतम तापमान 07 डिग्री रिकॉर्ड किया गया। इस वजह से दिल्ली हवाईअड्डे पर कई उड़ानें रद्द हुईं और करीब 20 ट्रेनें लेट हुईं। मौसम विज्ञान केंद्र के निदेशक के अनुसार इसका कारण पश्चिमी विक्षोभ का असर है जिससे वातावरण में नमी बढ़ गई है और हवा की गति कम हो गई है। मौसम कार्यालय का अनुमान है कि कुछ दिनों तक कोहरे की स्थिति लगभग वैसी ही रहेगी, लेकिन दो दिनों के बाद नमी का स्तर थोड़ा कम हो जाएगा। इसके साथ ही, दिल्ली में प्रदूषण के स्तर में भी बढ़ोतरी की आशंका है। यहां के वायु गुणवत्ता सूचकांक (एक्यूआई) गंभीर श्रेणी में है और अगले दो दिनों तक हवा की गति भी धीरे-धीरे घटने की उम्मीद है।
