A layer of dense fog enveloped the Delhi-NCR region on the morning of December 26, as the temperature dipped to almost 7 degrees in the national capital, as per the India Meteorological Department.
Morning visuals from Delhi’s India Gate, Sarai Kale Khan, AIIMS, Safdarjung and Anand Vihar areas showed them entirely covered in dense fog with low visibility. Residents sought refuge in night shelters spanning across various parts of the national capital as the grip of the cold wave intensified on the intervening night of December 26.
The IMD this morning released satellite images that showed a thick layer of fog spreading over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Visuals from UP’s Moradabad and Kanpur had a thick layer of fog that brought down the visibility to almost zero.
“It is difficult to see the road because of the fog. It is risky to ride at this time as there is low visibility and it is colder than usual,” a rickshaw driver from Moradabad said.
A night security guard in the area talked about the difficulty of work at night because of the cold and fog.
“It is very cold and now because of the fog, I can barely see anything. I work at night and with this cold, it is really difficult,” the watchman said.
People were seen huddled around the bonfires along the roads and lanes to seek relief from the bone-chilling cold in the region.
The Delhi airport noted delays in both arrivals and departures for about 30 flights including the international ones owing to dense fog, as per the Delhi Airport Flight Information Display System data on the morning of December 26. The sources have estimated that the fog conditions are likely to affect more flights in the day.
Meanwhile, the Delhi airport issued a passenger advisory on December 26, stating, “While landing and takeoffs continue taking place at Delhi Airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected. Passengers are requested to be in contact with the airline concerned for updated flight information.”
CAT-III Instrument Landing System (ILS) is defined technically as the anti-fog landing system initiated by the airport authorities in Delhi to facilitate landing when the runway visibility is low. The IMD also issued warnings regarding the possible health impacts on people due to the dense fog in the national capital.
“Dense fog is the carrier of the particulate matter and other pollutants and in case exposed, it gets lodged in the lungs, clogging them and decreasing their functional capacity which escalates episodes of wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath,” IMD said in a release on December 25.
The IMD release further informed that the fog conditions may tend to irritate the membranes of the eye causing various infections leading to redness or swelling of the eye.
