Delhi: AQI in 'severe' category; fog blankets city amid cold wave
Several parts of North India too witnessed a thick layer of fog
Several parts of North India too witnessed a thick layer of fog
Several parts of North India too witnessed a thick layer of fog
Several parts of North India too witnessed a thick layer of fog
The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi plunged into the 'severe' category on Sunday morning. he city also witnessed a thick layer of fog covering it affecting visibility.
According to the India Meterological Department (IMD), the visibility on the premises of Delhi (Palam) airport was 800 metres. Though a major improvement considering the last few days, the IMD predicts a thick fog cover on Sunday, affecting operations at airports, highways and railway routes.
The AQI is in the 'severe' category in the National Capital as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). While the AQI was 425 in Anand Vihar, it was 425 in Dwarka-Sector 8. The AQI was 426 in RK Puram and 421 in Mundka.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".
A cold wave gripped the city with forecast stating partly cloudy sky on Sunday. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to settle around 19 and 11 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, the visibility was zero in other parts of North India, including Jorhat, Pathankot, Jammu, Agra, and Bhatinda on Sunday morning. "Visibility was 25 meters in Ambala, 50 meters in Bikaner, Patiala, Chandigarh, Gwalior, Jhansi and 200 meters in Amritsar and Hisar," the IMD said.
Many parts of the country could also witnessed a fog cover. The IMD said the dense fog conditions (visibility 550 metres) were very likely to prevail over many parts of Punjab during late evening to morning hours and over West Uttar Pradesh during midnight and morning hours from Sunday to Thursday.
Similar conditions were predicted over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and East Uttar Pradesh during midnight and morning hours until Monday. Uttarakhand may witness dense fog conditions (visibility 50-200 metres) in the early morning hours/morning hours from December 31 to January 4, according to the IMD. Similar conditions were likely to prevail over north Madhya Pradesh, north Rajasthan and Jharkhand on Sunday and Monday.