New Delhi: As many as ten flights were diverted and many were delayed at the Delhi airport on Wednesday morning as low visibility conditions impacted operations, officials said.
One of the officials said nine flights were diverted to Jaipur and one to Lucknow since 7 am due to bad weather. Those flights were delayed due to low visibility conditions and the situation improved later, the second official said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that very dense fog began forming around 5.30 am, resulting in a thick haze over different parts of the national capital.
People in Delhi-NCR woke up to a thick blanket of smog, leaving residents grappling with hazardous air quality. One of the officials said six flights were diverted to Jaipur and one to Lucknow since 7 am due to bad weather. The second official said some flights have been delayed and the visibility conditions are improving. The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital is the country's busiest airport and handles around 1,400 flight movements daily.
As commuters braved the roads, many complained of burning eyes and breathing issues. The low visibility due to smog which blanketed the city became cause of anger among Delhiites, who are particularly pointing to the ineffectiveness of spraying measures aimed at reducing pollution.
Since morning, Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad and other parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) are witnessing a thick blanket of fog which severely affected vehicular movements with people driving cars keeping headlights on. The impact of fog is expected to be reduced by afternoon.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) remains in the 'very poor" category as people face difficulty in breathing. Anand Vihar presented the worst case with AQI plummeting to 393 at 5 am. According to IQAir, Noida's AQI also reached dangerous levels, with PM2.5 being the main pollutant.According to experts, the fog will remain like till night.
After snowfall in the hilly areas, the temperature has also dropped at night. According to the IMD, the maximum temperature was recorded 32.8 degrees celsius on Tuesday. The minimum temperature was 17.9 degrees. The humidity level in the air ranged from 46 to 96 per cent.
On Wednesday, the maximum temperature is expected to be 32 degress celsius and the minimum temperature 16 degrees. Between November 14 and 16, the maximum temperature can be 32 degrees and the minimum temperature can be 16 to 17 degrees.
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