Delhi wakes up to another foggy morning, reduced visibility in many areas

Rail and air traffic was affected as dense fog shrouded Delhi on Saturday morning.

Delhi woke up to a thick blanket of fog on Saturday, reducing visibility drastically across the city but flight operations were normal, officials said.

Commuters moving amidst dense fog in this winter season in New Delhi, India. (Ajay Aggarwal/ Hindustan Times)

However, more than 50 inbound and outbound trains were either rescheduled or delayed, some of them by as much as 5-6hours, railway officials said.

Airport officials described visibility as “manageable” and said there was no major impact on flight operations due to the weather conditions.

However, according to early reports from ANI, at the IGI airport too, arrival and departure of several flights were delayed.

The regional met department said the lowest visibility at Palam airport was 100 metres at 7.30 am. At the Safdarjung airport, the lowest visibility was also around 100 metres at 7.30 am.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded the minimum temperature at 9 degree Celsius while maximum is expected to be 23 degree Celsius.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) also hovered around 348 in the “very poor category” on Saturday, according to System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

People warming their hands on a chilly Delhi morning, Dec10, 2016. (Mohd Zakir / HT Photo )

The AQI in areas like Punjabi Bagh, Lodhi Colony, Mandir Marg, Anand Vihar, and Chattarpur crossed 300 in the morning, in data recorded by Hindustan Times’ real-time air quality tracking app. The level of air pollution in these areas have been called “severe,” and the air is deemed too dangerous to even breathe.

Track pollution levels in your city with this real-time air quality map

The thick fog reduced visibility in parts of the city and landmarks and prominent buildings such as the India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan were hidden by the dense fog early morning.

(With inputs from ANI)