Delhi’s air quality remains ‘very poor’; 148 flights cancelled on New Year’s Eve
An average air quality index (AQI) of 384 (very poor) was recorded at 8am, marginally lower 388 (very poor) at 4pm on Tuesday
Dense fog disrupted road, air, and train traffic, prompting the cancellation of 148 flights on Wednesday, even as Delhi’s air quality remained very poor and was expected to deteriorate to the “severe” category. The mercury plunged to 6.4°C, which is around normal, compared to 9.4°C the day before.
The visibility dipped to 50 metres at Palam and remained in this range for close to four hours. “At Delhi, visibility was 50 metres at Palam between 4am and 8am,” said an official. This disrupted air traffic at the Delhi airport, which included two diversions.
Over 550 flights were delayed at the Delhi airport on Tuesday. Airport officials said 118 flights were cancelled and 16 were diverted due to adverse weather conditions. On Wednesday, over 50 trains were running late under the Delhi division of Northern Railways.
An average air quality index (AQI) of 384 (very poor) was recorded at 8am, marginally lower 388 (very poor) at 4 pm on Tuesday.
The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi said the air quality was likely to be in the “severe” category until January 1 before improving marginally to “very poor” a day later. “The outlook for the subsequent six days from January 3 indicates air quality is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category,” it said. There have been five severe air days in December and eight overall this year.
