Fog Havoc In Uttarakhand: Road Mishaps Caused By Low Visibility Has Claimed Seven Lives In The State So Far

Out of the 13 districts of Uttarakhand, two (Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar) are most affected by fog.

Dehradun: Intense cold and fog have affected normal life in Uttarakhand.

Several districts and cities in the State are facing the brunt of fog with visibility becoming abysmally low after 6 pm. As per reports, seven persons have lost their lives due to mishaps caused by low visibility on the State's roads.

Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar the most affected

Out of the 13 districts of Uttarakhand, two (Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar) are most affected by fog. This apart, ​​Kotdwar Bijnor also gets engulfed in a thick blanket of fog as soon as evening falls.

4 persons killed in mishap in Haridwar

The first road mishap occurred on January 1 in Haridwar when four persons who had come to Haridwar from Haryana to celebrate new year while returning home. The four were travelling from Haridwar to Haryana when their car rammed into a truck parked on the highway. The fog on the highway was so thick that the driver the car could not spot the truck in the front. The car was carrying five persons and while four died on the spot, the fifth was critically injured.

Two students die in mishap

Another mishap occurred on January 3 in Bahadarabad, Haridwar, around 1 km away from the place where four residents from Haryana had died a couple of days back. As per reports, the victims, who were students were heading home on a bike and rammed into a vehicle which the riders could not see due to dense fog. The fog was so dense that the driver of a vehicle coming from behind could not see the students lying on the road and ran over them killing them on the spot.

Several cars collide with each other due to fog

On the morning of January 3, a State roadways bus hit a factory worker in Roorkee, Haridwar, killing him on the spot. The deceased was a resident of Jwalapur, Haridwar. On the occasion of New Year, many cars collided with each other due to fog. Fortunately, no loss of lives were reported.

The fog phenomenon

Director of Meteorological Department Vikram Singh said the weather is going to remain dry for the next two days. Similar weather will prevail in the areas adjoining Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. He said fog is a kind of water, when the steam emenating from water thickens and becomes gaseous. "One can also say that small particles of water that keep floating in the air is fog. When one goes out in the fog, small particles of water are visible on clothes, face and vehicles. When this fog settles, it turns into water," Singh said.

Fog is formed when humidity reaches 100%

Singh fog is formed when humidity in the atmosphere reaches 100%. At many places, the fog also causes difficulty in breathing. It occurs in winters because when cold winds blow, the heat of the ground stops between the cold winds blowing above and this mixture forms fog. He said that there can be many types of fog, such as radiation fog, education fog and upslope fog, etc.

Fog harmful for health

Former Principal of Doon Medical College, Dr Ashutosh Saina said fog can cause several health complications including difficulty in breathing. There are more chances of catching cold. He said the moisture in the fog can directly affects human beings' chest and lungs. If someone has low immunity, then the fog directly affects him/her. So at such times, it is advised to keep the mouth covered, wear clothes properly and avoid travel in open vehicles, Dr Saina said.