Dense fog delayed 200 flights at Delhi airport, another cold wave coming

According to airport officials, visibility on runways came down to a mere 100m as “very dense fog” descended in the morning, forcing virtually all departures to be halted for two hours. At least five flights were cancelled and 200 delayed with a cascading effect hitting schedules till late evening.

Air pollution was ‘severe’ for the fourth consecutive day, the daytime temperature fell to its lowest this season, and heavy fog disrupted at least 200 flights in and out of the national capital on Tuesday, even as weather officials predicted winter will get tougher in the coming week.

Air pollution was ‘severe’ for the fourth consecutive day, the daytime temperature fell to its lowest this season, and heavy fog disrupted at least 200 flights in and out of the national capital on Tuesday (Burhaan Kinu/HT Photo)

According to airport officials, visibility on runways came down to a mere 100m as “very dense fog” descended in the morning, forcing virtually all departures to be halted for two hours. At least five flights were cancelled and 200 delayed with a cascading effect hitting schedules till late evening. Eleven trains were also cancelled as the lack of visibility extended to swathes of North India.

“The minimum temperature was 5°C on Tuesday, which was three degrees below normal. We are expecting a cold wave for almost a week from Wednesday onwards. The night temperature could drop to around 3°C by the weekend,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the regional weather forecasting centre. The maximum temperature was 19.5°C, making it the coldest December day this year.

This Christmas also came in midst of the worst December pollution seen since daily air quality indexing began in 2015. At 409 on Tuesday, the air quality index (AQI) relented from the 448 on Monday when officials announced curbs on construction activity for two days as an emergency measure.

The pollution prompted chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday to announce that the Delhi government will, if needed, bring back the controversial odd-even rule that allows only half of Delhi’s private cars to run on alternate days.

According to experts, the spike in pollution levels this time was largely due to meteorological factors; low wind speed and high relative humidity trapped local pollutants emitted by vehicles, industries and other sources such as garbage burning.

High levels of pollution can affect even healthy citizens and the multi-agency task force headed by the Central Pollution Control Board has advised people with respiratory illness to stay indoors. Citizens have also been urged not to use private vehicles, particulary diesel-run ones, to bring down pollution levels.

“We are expecting a cold wave for almost a week from Wednesday onwards. The night temperature could drop to around 3°C by the weekend,” he added . The maximum temperature was 19.5°C, making it the coldest December day this year.

This Christmas also came in midst of the worst December pollution seen since daily air quality indexing began in 2015. At 409 on Tuesday, the air quality index (AQI) relented from the 448 on Monday when officials announced curbs on construction activity for two days as an emergency measure.

The pollution prompted chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday to announce that the Delhi government will, if needed, bring back the controversial odd-even rule that allows only half of Delhi’s private cars to run on alternate days.

According to experts, the spike in pollution levels this time was largely due to meteorological factors; low wind speed and high relative humidity trapped local pollutants emitted by vehicles, industries and other sources such as garbage burning.

High levels of pollution can affect even healthy citizens and the multi-agency task force headed by the Central Pollution Control Board has advised people with respiratory illness to stay indoors. Citizens have also been urged not to use private vehicles, particulary diesel-run ones, to bring down pollution levels.