New Delhi: A thick blanket of smog enveloped Delhi and neighboring areas of Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad on Wednesday morning, pushing air quality levels to the severe category and causing significant disruptions to air travel.
The dense fog, which began to form around 5:30 am, led to poor visibility at Indira Gandhi International Airport, with runway visibility recorded as low as 125 to 500 meters, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). As a result, 10 flights were diverted by 7 am, including six to Jaipur and one to Lucknow.
Delhi International Airport Limited informed on social media that while takeoffs and landings were still ongoing, flights that were not equipped with the CAT III navigation system — which allows aircraft to land in low-visibility conditions — might face delays.
The air quality index (AQI) in Delhi was recorded in the ‘Severe’ category, exceeding the 400 mark, while neighboring cities such as Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram experienced ‘Poor’ air quality levels. Faridabad saw a comparatively better AQI of 188, categorized as ‘Moderate’. Two key monitoring stations in Delhi — Anand Vihar and Aya Nagar — reported air quality in the severe category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
This alarming decline in air quality follows two weeks of ‘Very Poor’ air quality in Delhi. The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which is in effect, includes measures such as mechanical sweeping, water sprinkling on roads, and stricter dust control at construction sites.
The weather department has predicted shallow fog for the remainder of the day, with a maximum temperature of 32°C. However, the deteriorating air quality continues to pose serious health risks. In response to the hazardous conditions, several cities across the Indo-Gangetic Plains, including parts of Bihar, Haryana, and Chandigarh, are also reporting dangerously high pollution levels.
The situation is equally grim in neighboring Pakistan, where the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has issued a warning about the health risks posed to 11 million children in the eastern Punjab region due to the intensifying air pollution.
Air quality is measured on a scale, with 0-50 being ‘Good’, 51-100 being ‘Satisfactory’, 101-200 being ‘Moderate’, 201-300 being ‘Poor’, 301-400 being ‘Very Poor’, and anything above 400 considered ‘Severe’.
