New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS) Dense fog enveloped Delhi-NCR on Tuesday, severely reducing visibility and aggravating already poor air quality conditions. A thick layer of fog and smog blanketed the city during the early morning hours, disrupting daily life and posing serious challenges to commuters.

Low visibility continued to affect flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, with several flights being delayed or cancelled for the past few days due to persistent smog and dense fog across the national capital city. Road traffic was also hit badly, especially in areas such as the Rajokri flyover in south Delhi, where visibility dropped to extremely low levels. Vehicles were seen moving slowly with headlights and parking lights switched on.

Despite the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) implementing all measures under Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the NCR, air quality remained suffocating. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) at 7 a.m. on Tuesday stood at around 390, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category.

Several areas of the national capital recorded AQI levels above 400, indicating severe pollution. Srinivaspuri reported an AQI of 438, Mundka 422, Okhla 396, RK Puram 376, Anand Vihar 397 and Noida Sector 1 stood at 403. A layer of smog also blanketed the Akshardham area, where the AQI was recorded at around 384.

Air quality conditions remained poor in other NCR cities as well. Gurugram’s Sector 51 recorded an AQI of 386, while Vasundhara in Ghaziabad reported 374. Bahadurgarh, adjacent to Delhi, witnessed extremely low visibility, causing difficulties for motorists. The AQI in Bahadurgarh reached 308, while the minimum temperature there was recorded at 7 degrees Celsius. Cold winds were blowing at a speed of around 10 km per hour.

Weather stations also reported alarming visibility levels. At Palam, visibility was reduced to just 50 metres with west-southwesterly winds blowing at 5 kmph at 8 a.m., while Safdarjung recorded visibility of 100 metres with calm wind conditions.

Noida faced a double whammy of a cold wave and severe pollution. Pollution levels in several sectors reached the ‘extremely poor’ category. Sector 62 recorded an AQI of 396, Sector 116 at 426, Sector 125 at 420, Knowledge Park 3 in Greater Noida at 339, and Knowledge Park 5 at 407.

The concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 particles remained dangerously high across the region, raising serious health concerns for residents as winter conditions continue to worsen.

–IANS

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