Moderate to dense fog in Delhi, train services impacted; AQI in ‘severe’ category

Delhi witnessed moderate to dense fog on New Year’s Eve, causing disruptions in transportation and affecting several trains.

The city woke up to reduced visibility and chilly temperatures amid the festive atmosphere on the last day of the year. Several trains, including both local and long-distance services, experienced disruptions, leaving passengers stranded and frustrated.

As many as 23 trains in the Delhi area are reported to be running behind schedule, according to Indian Railways. Trains that are running late include Puri- New Delhi Purushottam Express, Kanpur-New Delhi Shramshakti, Howrah-New Delhi Poorva Express, Saharsa- New Delhi Vaishali Express, Rewa-Anand Vihar Express, Allahabad- New Delhi Prayagarj Express, Azamgarh – Delhi Kaifiyat Express, Bhagalpur – Anand Vihar Vikramshila, Rajendranagar – New Delhi Sampoorn Kranti.

“Trains are stopping at the outer of every big station. This is the major problem. This should be sorted out,” a passenger at Anand Vihar Railway Station told ANI.

Visuals from Subroto Park, DND flyover, and India Gate showed the vehicular movement crippling owing to less visibility.

Zero visibility was recorded in Jorhat, Pathankot, Jammu, Agra, and Bhatinda this morning, according to the India Meteorological Department. The weather forecasting agency said visibility was reported at 25 meters in Ambala, 50 meters in Bikaner, Patiala, Chandigarh, and Gwalior, Jhansi. In Amritsar and Hisar, visibility was recorded at 200 meters.

According to the IMD, ‘very dense’ fog is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, 51 and 200 metres is ‘dense’, 201 and 500 metres ‘moderate’, and 501 and 1,000 metres ‘shallow’.

Dense to very dense fog is forecasted at most places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi, at many places over Uttar Pradesh, at a few places over Uttarakhand, at isolated places over northern parts of Rajasthan, and dense fog at isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir and the Lower division of Himachal Pradesh. Cold day conditions are expected at many places over Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh and at isolated places over Uttar Pradesh.

The IMD has issued a weather advisory forecasting very dense fog conditions with visibility less than 50 meters over many parts of Punjab from late evening to the next day morning, extending until January 4. West Uttar Pradesh is expected to experience very dense fog during midnight and morning hours from December 30 to January 4. In the Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi region, as well as East Uttar Pradesh, very dense fog is anticipated during midnight and morning hours till January 1.

Dense fog conditions with visibility ranging between 50 and 200 meters are predicted to prevail for a few hours in morning hours over Uttarakhand from until January 4. Similar conditions are expected in north Madhya Pradesh, north Rajasthan, and Jharkhand on December 31 and January 1. Gangetic West Bengal is likely to experience dense fog on December 31. Odisha, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura are expected to witness dense fog from December 31 to January 2.

Meanwhile, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital has reached the ‘severe’ category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), exacerbating concerns about air pollution and visibility issues during the period of dense fog.