Thousands of passengers waited as dense fog hit the skies of Delhi, resulting in the delay of around 30 flights and the cancellation of 17 departing from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). The visibility recorded in the city’s Palam (VIDP), and Safdarjung Airports is said to be at least 500 meters (about 1640.42 ft.) in the morning, according to the Meteorological Department (IMD).
The areas affected by the low visibility are recorded to be seen over the northern and north-eastern states, Punjab, Haryana, North MP, UP, Bihar, and West Bengal, being engulfed in the layer of fog. According to a post on X by IMD, the affected areas include: Varanasi 00m; Agra 00m; Gwalior 00m; Jammu 00m; Pathankot 00m; Chandigarh 00m; Gaya 20m; Prayagraj 50m; Tejpur 50m; Agartala 100m, Vijayawada 100m; Bagdogra 100m.
The passengers have been facing difficulties not only at the airports but also at the railway stations. Around 30 trains, including the Rani Kamalapati-Hazrat Nizamuddin Vande Bharat and Howrah-Delhi Rajdhani Express, were delayed, which left people stranded on the stations during the cold-wave conditions.
On Monday, the minimum temperature recorded was 3.5 degrees Celsius, while on Tuesday it rose to 3.5 degrees Celsius. According to IMD, an orange alert has been issued for cold wave conditions that will prevail for the next few days.
Meanwhile, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 401 in the Anand Vihar area as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which puts it in the ‘severe’ category.
