Dense fog covered parts of Delhi and nearby areas on Saturday, causing some trouble for travelers at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI). The airport issued several warnings, asking passengers to check with their airlines about flight updates. On Friday, the fog made it hard to see in parts of Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Noida, which led to more than 100 flights and some train services being delayed.
The fog also mixed with poor air quality, which reached a “severe” level. The Air Quality Index (AQI) went above 400 in the early morning and then dropped to 397 by 4 PM, which still shows unhealthy air.
On Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) noted that the maximum temperature in Delhi was 17.6 degrees Celsius and the minimum dropped to 6 degrees. There is also a chance of cloudy skies with light rain and thunderstorms this weekend, which could add to the fog during the morning.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI readings classify air as “good” at 0-50, “satisfactory” at 51-100, “moderate” at 101-200, “poor” at 201-300, “very poor” at 301-400, and “severe” at 401-500. In response to rising pollution levels, the government brought back stage 3 anti-pollution rules.
Fog also affected other parts of northern India, such as Punjab and Haryana, where visibility was very poor, especially in Amritsar. The thick fog led to several accidents on Friday, including a crash involving seven vehicles on a highway in Hapur, and a tragic incident where two people died in a bus accident in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
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