Delhi woke up to choking air on Tuesday as AQI levels crossed 400 at 27 monitoring stations, with five areas slipping into the ‘severe plus’ category. Dense fog and smog reduced visibility across the city, impacting road and air travel
Thick layer of smog covers Delhi as AQI crosses 400 mark. Pic/PTI
The condition in Delhi does not seem to improve, as the national capital on Tuesday woke up to choking air with thick fog and haze engulfed. The AQI levels crossed 400 (severe category) at 27 monitoring stations, and several others slipped into the 'severe plus' range, exposing residents to extremely hazardous pollution.
As reported by news agency PTI, Delhi on Tuesday recorded an AQI of 415, slipping from the 'very poor' category a day earlier, as pollution levels continued their upward climb, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Out of 40 monitoring stations, 27 recorded severe air quality with AQI readings above 400, a level known to have serious health impacts.
Moreover, five stations were in the 'severe plus' category with AQI readings above 450, with Anand Vihar recording an AQI of 470, Nehru Nagar (463), Okhla (459), Mundka (459) and Sirifort (450), as per data from the CPCB's SAMEER app, as reported by news agency PTI.
According to the CPCB standards, an AQI from 0 to 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
Another point of concern is that the dense fog in Delhi has led to a sharp drop in visibility, with Palam recording 50 metres visibility under dense fog conditions with west-southwesterly winds at 5 kmph at 8 am, while Safdarjung reported 100 metres visibility with calm winds at the same time.
Furthermore, the visibility improved slightly by 8.30 am, with Palam recording 100 metres visibility under dense fog with west-southwesterly winds at 5 kmph and Safdarjung reporting 150 metres visibility with calm winds.
Delhi weather
On the other hand, Delhi's minimum temperature on Tuesday dropped to 8.8 degrees Celsius, which is 1.3 degrees above normal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, reported PTI.
On the other hand, the maximum temperature is expected to hover around 23 degrees Celsius, with the forecast indicating dense fog conditions during the day.
Dense smog affects visibility at IGIA
The dense smog also affected visibility across the national capital, prompting Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport to issue a passenger advisory last week. In a post on the social media platform X at 7 am, airport authorities stated that low-visibility procedures were in place, although flight operations were continuing normally. Passengers were advised to contact their respective airlines for the latest updates, as delays could occur due to weather conditions.
(With inputs from PTI)
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