Fog thickens in Noida; air quality reaches severe

Noida traffic police also started an awareness campaign on driving under reduced visibility conditions and urged motorists to maintain a low speed. Over 2,400 drivers were penalised on Sunday and Monday, of which 2,300 were driving or riding on the wrong side

The week started with a dense fog cover over the district on Monday with the maximum temperature remaining around 14 14 degrees Celsius.

Commuters out on a foggy morning in Noida on Monday. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted similar foggy days for the rest of the week as well. “Dense or very dense fog with cold day conditions is expected on Monday and Tuesday, fog or mist will occur in the morning till January 11 and fog or mist will continue till Saturday,” the IMD said.

According to the IMD, very dense fog means visibility would be less than 50 metres, dense fog means visibility would be 50m to 199m, moderate fog means visibility would be 200m to 499m and shallow fog means visibility of 500m to 999m.

On Monday, the maximum temperature was around 14 degrees Celsius (°C) in Noida and Greater Noida while the minimum temperature was 3°C.

As the temperature dipped and dense fog surrounded the city, the air quality in Noida also hit the ”severe” category on Monday, while Greater Noida touched “severe” on Sunday.

On Monday, the AQI of Noida was 434 in Noida and 415 in Greater Noida, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) figures. The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) officials explained that the fog traps local pollutants and lack of wind does not let the dust particles disperse. The fact that the major pollutant is PM2.5 or fine particulate matter shows that dust has remained trapped in the environment, the officials said.

The CPCB forecast for Delhi-NCR cities said, “The outlook for subsequent six days is that the air quality is likely to remain largely in “very poor” category.”

It further said clear sky with dense fog in the morning and cold wave conditions in isolated places can be expected on Tuesday, while partly cloudy sky and moderate to dense fog in the morning can be expected on Wednesday. There is also a possibility of very light rain on Thursday morning in parts of NCR.

Noida traffic police also started an awareness campaign on driving under reduced visibility conditions and urged motorists to maintain a low speed. Over 2,400 drivers were penalised on Sunday and Monday, of which 2,300 were driving or riding on the wrong side. The police also started a checking drive and fined motorists for not wearing helmet/seat belt, violation of no parking, triple riding, and faulty number plate, among others.

“We are regularly updating traffic bulletins on our social media handles about fog forecasts. We also make regular announcements on the PA system of the integrated traffic management system regarding foggy conditions. Our PCR and PRV vehicles, especially along the expressway, are on alert. At the Jewar toll, staff also provides drinking water and resting space for drivers and urge them to keep a low speed,” said Ganesh Prasad Saha, deputy commissioner of police (traffic).

He added that the traffic police is also marking accident prone areas with reflective tapes for better visibility.

“Our aim is crash prevention, especially during such adverse weather conditions. Driving on the wrong side becomes more dangerous during foggy conditions as the oncoming vehicle may not be able to spot the errant one on time and lead to a head-on collision. People can only ensure safety by following the basic traffic safety rules. We are also encouraging people to use reflective tapes on their vehicles,” Saha said.