New Delhi:

As many as 134 flights and 22 trains had been delayed after a thick blanket of haze coated Delhi and far of north India because the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted dense fog over Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab until December 31.

Flights, trains delayed

Passengers had been seen queuing up on the gate of the Indira Gandhi International Airport amid intense fog. Approximately 134 flights, each arrivals and departures (home and worldwide), had been affected by the fog. 

Thirty 5 35 worldwide flight departures and 28 worldwide arrivals acquired delayed on the airport. effectively. On the opposite hand, 43 home departures and 28 home arrivals had been late.

As many as 22 trains had been delayed by a number of hours on the New Delhi Railway Station amid low visibility. 

Low visibility

At 5.30 am, visibility at Delhi’s Safdarjung observatory dropped to 50 metres whereas Palam, close to Delhi airport, reported a visibility of 25 metres. In Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and UP, the visibility ranged from 50 to 25 metres. 

Dense to very dense fog reported in some pockets over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh and in remoted pockets over Jammu & Kashmir, West Rajasthan and West Madhya Pradesh

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) December 28, 2023

Although Delhi noticed improved visibility in some areas this morning, foggy climate continues to prevail within the NCR area.

Schools in a number of UP cities have declared holidays as biting chilly continues to prevail throughout North India. The Met has predicted “very dense fog” for late night time and morning hours until New Year’s Eve within the northern states.

“Fog likely to become more dense and very likely to extend to more parts of Uttar Pradesh & north Rajasthan and some parts of extreme north Madhya Pradesh,” the IMD mentioned in a put up on X, advising vacationers to watch out and use fog lights whereas driving.

Air high quality “very poor”

As chilly wave circumstances proceed, the minimal temperature in Delhi settled at 6 levels Celsius whereas the utmost is predicted to not go above 21 levels Celsius.

With a dense haze hanging within the air, the air high quality remained “very poor” for the second day within the metropolis. The common AQI in Delhi reached 386 with Anand Vihar recording an AQI of 464 within the “severe” class . According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air pollution degree will stay poor class for the subsequent two days additionally. 

On Wednesday, thick haze coated a lot of north India, delaying over 110 flights and 25 trains out and in of Delhi. As roads remained engulfed in fog, several collisions had been reported throughout Uttar Pradesh. One particular person was killed and 12 others injured after a number of autos collided on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway. In Bareilly, a rushing truck rammed right into a home close to the Bareilly-Sultanpur freeway.

In one other huge pileup, a number of folks had been injured and 12 autos crashed on a Yamuna Expressway stretch close to Greater Noida. The pile-up came about at Jewar on the Noida-Agra route. Visuals from the positioning confirmed broken autos, together with vehicles and vehicles, on the pile-up website.