Delhi chokes under 'severe' air quality, thick layer of smog engulfs city

Delhi woke up to another hazardous winter morning on Monday as a toxic mix of dense fog and severe air pollution engulfed the national capital pushing the Air Quality Index AQI beyond 400and sharply reducing visibilityThe national capital was blanketed in thick smog on Monday morning with the overall AQI recorded at 402 at 7 am placing it firmly in the lsquoseverersquo categoryPollution levels crossed 400 at more than half of Delhirsquos air quality monitoring stations highlighting extremely hazardous conditions across large parts of the cityOut of 40 monitoring stations 25 reported AQI levels in the lsquoseverersquo rangeVivek Vihar recorded an AQI of 458 making it the most polluted area followed by Anand Vihar at 459 Wazirpur at 444 and Rohini at 445 Fine particulate matter PM25 remained the dominant pollutantData from Lodhi Road and RK Puram stations was unavailableThe pollution crisis was compounded by dense fog which drastically reduced visibility across Delhi and the surrounding regionsThe India Meteorological Department IMD issued a lsquored alertrsquo for very dense fog in most parts of the capital between 531 am and 831 am advising people to drive cautiously use fog lights avoid unnecessary travel and cover their faces while stepping outdoorsVisibility drops flights delayedVisibility began dropping sharply late Sunday night and remained poor through the early hours of Monday slowing traffic and making travel risky At Delhi airport visibility fell to around 125 metres with runway visibility ranging between 100 and 150 metresIn a passenger advisory posted on X Delhi Airport said ldquoFlight operations are currently being conducted under CAT III conditions due to dense fog which may result in delays or cancellationsrdquoAuthorities warned that disruptions could continue and urged passengers to check flight status with their respective airlines Ground staff were deployed across terminals to assist travellersSeveral airlines also issued advisories IndiGo said that fog and cold winter conditions at Delhi and Hindon airports had led to fluctuating visibility and slower operations while reiterating that passenger safety remained its top priority The airline advised travellers to monitor flight updates and said rebooking and refund options were availableAir India in a latenight advisory said ldquoWeather forecast for tomorrow morning indicates dense fog with low visibility in parts of northern India including Delhi which is likely to impact flight operations We have taken proactive steps to minimise disruptionshellip However in the event of unexpected delays diversions or cancellations please rest assured that our ground teams will extend all necessary assistancerdquoRail services were also affected with several trains including the Rajdhani Express Vande Bharat and Jan Shatabdi running behind scheduleWith air quality remaining in the lsquoseverersquo category health experts have advised residents to limit outdoor exposure as authorities continue to monitor the evolving situationWith inputs from Agencies