Northern India Faces Two More Difficult Days as IMD Issues Alert Amidst Severe Fog and Smog

Dense fog and smog disrupted normal life in North India. Flights, trains, and road traffic were affected in many states, including Delhi.

IMD Coldwave Alert: Dense fog enveloped most parts of North India on Monday, severely disrupting transportation. In many areas of Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh, extremely low visibility brought road, rail, and air services to a standstill. The combination of fog and pollution created smog, pushing Delhi's air quality into the 'Severe' category.

Significant Impact at Delhi Airport

A total of 128 flights were cancelled at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport as runway visibility dropped below 50 metres. This included 64 arrivals and 64 departures. Additionally, over 300 flights were delayed by anywhere from half an hour to four hours. Eight flights arriving in Delhi were diverted to cities like Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow. Despite Cat-III technology, operations were affected due to safety reasons.

Over 90 Trains Delayed

Rail services were also severely impacted due to fog and pollution. More than 90 trains arriving in Delhi reached their destinations between two and 15 hours late. Several trains departing from Delhi were also delayed. Premium trains like Shatabdi, Gatimaan, and Vande Bharat ran hours behind schedule in the Gwalior-Chambal region. A dozen trains arrived late at Jammu station.

Vehicles Crawling on Roads

Visibility on highways and roads was limited to 50-200 metres due to the dense fog. One person died in a collision between a truck and a canter on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway in Greater Noida. Vehicles were seen crawling on North Indian highways.

Impact in Other States

• Uttar Pradesh: Dense fog in 20 districts, with a possibility of cold days in 25. No respite from the cold.
• Uttarakhand: Flights affected at Dehradun and Pantnagar airports, schools closed. Roadways buses delayed by 3-4 hours.
• Madhya Pradesh: Fog in Gwalior-Chambal, trains delayed.
• Jammu: One flight to Leh cancelled, others delayed.

Pollution at Severe Levels

Delhi's AQI reached 401-402, categorised as 'Severe'. Anand Vihar recorded the highest at 455. Smog persisted due to a lack of wind. The minimum temperature dropped to 8.3°C.

IMD Alert

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for moderate to dense fog on Tuesday and also for December 31. Similar weather conditions are expected to persist for the next two days.