Dense fog enveloped Delhi on Sunday as ‘severe’ air quality and a biting cold wave tightened their grip on the national capital. Visibility dropped sharply in several parts of the city.
Alongside the fog, Delhi continued to struggle with extremely poor air quality. The Air Quality Index stood at 440 at 8 am, placing it in the ‘severe’ category. In response, authorities enforced Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the toughest set of anti-pollution restrictions, from Saturday.
Also read| Grap-4 returns as Delhi AQI blows past 400 again
Visibility levels across key locations
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported zero visibility at Safdarjung, while Palam recorded visibility of 100 metres.
Similar fog conditions were observed in other parts of north India, with zero visibility reported in Bareilly, Lucknow and Kushinagar.
Visibility stood at 100 metres in Amritsar and Gorakhpur, and 200 metres in Prayagraj.
Also read| Delhi records coldest night in 3 years at 2.9°C; dense fog blankets city
Airlines issue advisories
The dense fog led several airlines, including Air India and IndiGo, to issue advisories, urging passengers to expect delays and check flight updates.
At 8 am, the Delhi airport said, “ All flight operations are normal.”
Advisory issued by Indigo
Advisory issued by Air India
Grap-4 returns in Delhi
Under Stage 4, entry of BS-IV truck traffic into Delhi is restricted. All construction and demolition work is prohibited, while schools up to Class 10 must shift to hybrid lessons, with only Classes 10 and 12 continuing in-person instruction.