Delhi NCR Weather: Dense fog enveloped Delhi on Monday, significantly reducing visibility and leading to the cancellation of 128 flights, with nearly 470
experiencing delays. The India Meteorological Department issued a 'yellow' alert for the following day, predicting continued fog. An official said 64 departures and 64 arrivals were cancelled, while 8 flights were diverted due to dense fog and low visibility conditions at the Delhi airport on today. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 8.3 degrees Celsius, 1.5 degrees above normal, and a maximum of 22.5 degrees Celsius, 2.1 degrees above normal, the IMD said on Monday. The capital is likely to witness dense fog on Tuesday morning as well, the weather department said, issuing a 'yellow' alert. The maximum temperature on Tuesday is likely to settle around 21 degrees Celsius and the minimum around 8 degrees Celsius. Also Read:Delhi Weather Tomorrow: Dense Fog to Persist on Tuesday as Smog Tightens Grip, IMD Keeps Orange Alert — check weather forecast
Delhi Flight Cancellations
The visibility at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport and Safdarjung was 50 metres at 8 am. It improved to 100 metres around 9 am, the IMD said. At least 128 flights were cancelled, eight diverted and nearly 200 delayed at the airport due to the low visibility conditions, according to an official and information on the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.
Information on the flight-tracking website Flightradar24.com showed that nearly 470 flights were delayed. Delhi airport operator DIAL, in a post on X at 2 pm, said flight operations were running smoothly as runway visibility had improved.
"However, some flight departures or arrivals for certain destinations may be impacted," it said.
In an earlier post on X at 11.20 am, IndiGo had said foggy conditions remain in place across Delhi and several airports in northern India, with visibility yet to improve fully.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) operates the national capital's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), which handles around 1,300 flight movements daily.
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Delhi AQI today
Delhi recorded a 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI) of 401, in the 'severe' category, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
On Monday, the AQI stood at 390, in the 'very poor' category. The air quality at 24 monitoring stations in the city was 'severe' while it was 'very poor' at 13 stations, data from the CPCB's SAMEER app showed.
Wazirpur recorded the worst AQI of 462.
An AQI between 0 and 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'.
The city's air quality is likely to be in the 'very poor' category on Tuesday and Wednesday, before returning to the 'severe' category on New Year's Day, the Air Quality Early Warning System said.
The outlook for the subsequent six days indicates 'very poor' air quality, it said.
Data from the Decision Support System for Air Quality Management showed transport was the biggest contributor to the city's pollution load at 15.1 per cent, followed by industries in Delhi and its peripheral areas at 7.6 per cent, residential sources at 3.6 per cent, construction activities at 2 per cent and waste burning at 1.3 per cent.
Among NCR districts, Jhajjar contributed 16.7 per cent to the pollution load, Rohtak 5.2 per cent, Sonipat 5.1 per cent, Bhiwani 3.4 per cent and Gurugram 1.5 per cent.
(With PTI inputs)
