Dense fog disrupts 30 trains, flights in Delhi

Dense fog engulfed Delhi on Saturday morning, affecting various modes of transportation and leading to disruptions in rail, airline, and traffic movement. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that dense to very dense fog conditions are likely to persist in most places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi until Sunday morning, and in some areas for the subsequent three days. Despite the fog, the minimum temperature in the city settled at 11.8 degrees Celsius, five notches above the seasonal average.

The IMD classifies fog intensity into four categories - shallow, moderate, dense, and very dense fog - with visibility ranging from 999 m to less than 50 m. As the day progresses, the fog is expected to gradually dissipate, revealing clearer skies in the afternoon, with the maximum temperature hovering around 19 degrees Celsius.

The dense fog has led to significant disruptions in flight and train schedules, with over 70 international and domestic flights experiencing delays and some potentially facing cancellations. In the early hours of Saturday, 30 trains, including the Jammu Tawi-New Delhi Rajdhani Express and Mumbai-Nizamuddin August Kranti Rajdhani, faced delays due to low visibility.

The deteriorating air quality in Delhi remained in the 'severe' category, with PM2.5 levels at 429 and PM10 at 414 in the Anand Vihar area, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The Air Quality Index (AQI) at the Indira Gandhi International Airport T3 stood at 361 for PM2.5, categorized as 'very poor,' and PM10 at 251, classified as 'poor.'