Dense fog blanketed India’s capital New Delhi and surrounding areas in northern India on Wednesday, affecting trains and flights.
Air traffic monitoring portal Flightradar24 showed that more than 100 flights were delayed at New Delhi’s main airport. Local media said more than 40 trains in northern India were also affected.
The Indian Meteorological Department issued an orange alert, its second highest warning level, and predicted dense to very dense fog in many areas.
Fog is common in winter
Visibility at Delhi’s airport was between zero and 100 meters (328 feet), the agency said.
“There may be some delays due to low visibility and fog in Delhi,” IndiGo Airlines, the country’s largest airline, said.
Traffic also slowed down due to low visibility and local media showed footage of cars moving at a snail’s pace on city roads.
Low temperatures as low as 7 °C (44.6 °F) as well as poor air quality made foggy conditions worse.
Fog is common in the lower Indo-Gangetic plains during winter.
Delhi’s air pollution reading on Wednesday stood at 437, or “hazardous”, according to live rankings by Swiss group IQAir. The city is the most polluted city in the world, and air quality becomes worse during winter.
A dense fog blanketed the Indian capital in November, bringing much of the city to a halt.
tg/ab (EFE, Reuters)
