Delhi chokes under smog: AQI hits ‘severe’ level at 414; flights, trains delayed as visibility dips

NEW DELHI: Dense smog continued to choke the national capital on Tuesday morning, sharply reducing visibility and keeping air quality firmly in the ‘severe’ range. The Air Quality Index (AQI) Delhi stood at 414 around 7 am, according to data from Sameer app.

Several parts of Delhi recorded alarmingly high pollution levels. Key hotspots included Anand Vihar (466), Mundka (451), Ashok Vihar (444) and the ITO area (436), all falling in the ‘severe’ category.





Prominent landmarks such as India Gate, Kartavya Path and Rashtrapati Bhavan were engulfed in thick toxic smog, with AQI readings crossing 400.



Air quality across the wider National Capital Region (NCR) also remained grim. Noida recorded an AQI of 426, while Ghaziabad stood at 415, both categorised as ‘severe', underscoring the spread of the pollution episode beyond Delhi.



According to news agency PTI, flight and rail operations were hit as dense fog blanketed the city. On Monday, more than 500 flights were delayed and at least 14 flights were cancelled at the Indira Gandhi International Airport due to poor visibility and adverse weather conditions.



Rail services were also disrupted, with several trains running behind schedule and a few cancelled owing to dense fog in the region, causing inconvenience to passengers.

With pollution levels worsening, authorities invoked Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-4) to curb emissions. Truck-mounted water sprinklers were deployed across several parts of the city to suppress dust and reduce particulate matter.

As per AQI norms, values between 0 and 50 are classified as ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 ‘moderate’, 201–300 ‘poor’, 301–400 ‘very poor’, and 401–500 ‘severe’.

Meanwhile, dense to very dense fog continued to disrupt life across the northern plains on Monday, impacting flight and rail operations.

Although Delhi’s AQI showed marginal fluctuations, it remained stuck in the very poor to severe range. The lowest visibility in the city was recorded at just 150 metres at Palam during the early hours. At Indira Gandhi International Airport, more than 500 flights were delayed and 14 were cancelled, while several trains were delayed by at least 30 minutes.

Weather officials said conditions may see gradual improvement as the prevailing western disturbance weakens and wind speeds pick up. Fog intensity is expected to reduce till December 26, though air quality is likely to remain very poor. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has not issued any colour-coded alerts till December 28, forecasting shallow to moderate fog and surface winds of up to 20 kmph during the day.

Meteorologists cautioned that another weak western disturbance between December 28 and 31 could bring calmer winds and a fresh spell of dense fog. “Wind speeds are expected to gradually increase as the current western disturbance weakens. Cold northwesterly winds will dominate, reducing fog but leading to a dip in temperatures,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet.

Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 21.8°C on Monday, while the minimum stood at 11°C. The minimum temperature is likely to fall sharply to between 6°C and 8°C by December 25, while daytime temperatures may remain below 20°C from December 24 onwards due to cold northwesterly winds.

Separately, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the NCR reviewed existing anti-pollution measures at its 26th full commission meeting.

The panel reiterated the Supreme Court’s December 17 order lifting protection for BS-III and older vehicles. While BS-IV and newer vehicles continue to enjoy protection from coercive action, agencies have been directed to strictly enforce action against highly polluting BS-III and lower-emission vehicles.

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