Traffic cops issue advisory as Delhi wakes up to a foggy morning, 20 trains cancelled

At least 20 trains were cancelled, 30 were running late and as many as six were rescheduled due to low visibility and other operational reasons.

Delhi traffic police issued a fog advisory and several trains were hit as Delhi was wrapped in a sheet of fog early on Tuesday morning. According to the weather department, visibility was a poor 300 metres at 8.30am on Tuesday which slowed movement of vehicles in many parts of the city.

Visibility was a poor 300 metres at 8.30am on Tuesday though the fog began to clear up as the day progressed. The weatherman said that motorists in the city may again encounter “dense” fog on Thursday. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

While the weatherman described the fog as “shallow/moderate”, the traffic police issued its annual fog advisory for the first time this December. Among other things, it urged motorists to keep a safe distance from vehicles in front and to not stop at busy portions of the road. “You could become the first link in a chain-reaction collision,” the advisory said.

Train services were also badly hit on Tuesday because of fog. At least 20 trains were cancelled, 30 were running late and as many as six were rescheduled due to low visibility and other operational reasons, ANI reported.

The fog, however, began to clear up as the day progressed. The weatherman said that motorists in the city may again encounter “dense” fog on Thursday and added that there is not going to be any substantial dip in temperatures over the next week.

On Tuesday morning, the city’s minimum and maximum temperature hovered at 7.1 degrees Celsius and 22.8 degrees Celsius, respectively. The minimum was 0.1 degrees above the corresponding temperature on Monday. Sunday had been the coldest day this December as the minimum temperature hit 6.3 degrees Celsius.

Tuesday is unlikely to see any dip in temperature. “The minimum and maximum temperature through the day will oscillate between 7 and 23 degrees Celsius,” a Met department official said.

The air quality, meanwhile, remained “very poor” and similar to what it was on Christmas. The air quality index (AQI) — a measure of pollutant in the air — stood at 368 at 9.15am on Tuesday, as against 372 the previous day.

Most areas in Delhi had either very poor or severe air pollution, with only areas close to Dilshad Garden, IGI Airport and Dwarka recording “poor” air quality. However, Delhi fared better than the neighbouring Noida where the AQI was at its maximum of 500, with finer particulate matter in the air in abundance.

The AQI is calculated on a scale of 0-500. An AQI between 0-0 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor and 401-500 severe.