A dense fog descended over Delhi and surrounding areas on Saturday — with the weather department sounding an ‘orange’ alert as visibility fell sharply. The update came even as air quality slipped into the ‘severe’ category across many areas in the national capital. Officials have forecast a steady worsening of pollution levels over the weekend despite a slew of restrictive measures taken earlier this week.
Air quality turns ‘severe’
“The air quality is likely to be in the Very Poor category from December 19 to 20. The air quality is likely to be in the Severe category from December 21 to 22. Outlook for the subsequent 6 Days: The air quality is likely to be in the Severe to Very Poor category,” read an update from the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi.
The overall air quality reading stood at a ‘very poor’ AQI of 380 at 7 am. Multiple locations across the city however recorded a spike to ‘severe’ levels on Saturday morning. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the AQI stood at 428 for Sarai Kale Khan, while Akshardham recorded a reading of 420. Rao Tularam Marg recorded an AQI of 403, and the Barapullah flyover area recorded 380. Other pollution hotspots included Anand Vihar (428), Ashok Vihar (407), and the ITO area (429), also falling under the ‘severe’ category across large swathes of the national capital.
Delhi Airport issues advisory
Delhi Airport issued a passenger advisory on Saturday morning — assuring that flight operations were continuing as normal despite the situation. Multiple airlines have issued alerts warning of possible disruptions due to poor visibility across northern India. Data from the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com indicates that at least 177 flights were cancelled and over 500 flights weredelayed at Delhi airport on Friday.
“Low-visibility procedures are still in progress at Delhi Airport. All flight operations are functioning normally. Passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines for the latest flight updates,” the advisory urged.
