At least 16 Delhi-bound trains have been reported to be running late. The Delhi Airport, however, said that all flight operations are normal and low visibility procedures are in process.
In a tweet, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, "Dense to very dense fog observed over Punjab, West Uttar Pradesh and moderate to dense fog over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam and Meghalaya on 17.01.2021."
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), several spots in the city reported AQIs at the higher end of the 'severe' category including RK Puram (492), Dwarka Sec-8 (497), Ashok Vihar (472), Shadipur (443) and North Campus (448) among many others.
The weather department on Tuesday had issued an orange alert for the northern plains, which are also forecast to witness foggy conditions. A large part of the country is set to face intense cold conditions over the next few days, it said.
Mumbai on Friday once again recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 317 which was worse than that of Delhi, an official of the India Meteorological Department said.
Following the ongoing COVID-19 conditions, health experts have urged people to take extra precautions as respiratory diseases tend to worsen with a dip in temperature and a rise in pollution levels.
A thick layer of fog engulfed parts of the national capital on Sunday including Rajghat and Punjabi Bagh. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are likely to re-establish over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Rajasthan and West Uttar Pradesh from 29th December.
The mercury is likely to increase slightly on Sunday and Monday under the influence of a fresh western disturbance affecting the upper reaches of the Himalayas.
At Mathura Road in Delhi, AQI is in the severe category with PM 10 of 509 and PM 2.5 of 456. Lodhi Road is better in the very poor category with PM 10 of 375 and PM 2.5 of 395.
For the plains, the IMD declares a cold wave when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or below and is 4.5 notches less than normal for two consecutive days. However, for small areas such as Delhi, a cold wave can be declared if the criteria is fulfilled even for a day.
According to the IMD, a "cold day" is when the minimum temperature is less than 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum is at least 4.4 degrees Celsius below the normal. A "severe" cold day is when the maximum temperature is at least 6.5 notches below the normal.
Dense fog blanketed parts of Delhi on Wednesday as it recorded a minimum temperature of 5.8 degrees Celsius in the morning, three notches below the normal temperature. The India Meteorological Department has predicted both "cold day" and "cold wave" in parts of Delhi on Thursday and Friday.
Delhi's air quality, which was “very poor” on Sunday, improved significantly to the “moderate” category on Monday morning.
An AQI between 0-50 is marked good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201- 300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is considered severe.
Delhi's minimum temperature dropped to 9.5 degrees Celsius and a blanket of fog covered the national capital, affecting visibility on Tuesday morning. According to the IMD, “very dense” fog is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, 51 and 200 is “dense”, 201 and 500 “moderate”, and 501 and 1,000 “shallow”.
Stubble burning has stopped now but Delhi's air pollution situation remains serious, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Friday urging the Arvind Kejriwal government to take swift action on the complaints forwarded to it by the CPCB.
The national capital witnessed more polluted November this year than in 2019, largely due to lesser precipitation and large-scale stubble burning.
Winds are predicted to slow down further. Therefore, Delhi's air quality is likely to deteriorate further and remain in the “poor” to “very poor” category over the next two days.
The 24-hour average was 231 on Saturday, 137 on Friday, 302 on Thursday and 413 on Wednesday.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".
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