New Delhi, India

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for dense fog which has blanketed parts of north India in the past few days – especially Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh.

“Dense Fog Advisory for Punjab, Haryana, Delhi Uttar Pradesh, north Rajasthan and north Madhya Pradesh: Be careful while driving or outing through any transport. Use fog lights while driving. Be in touch with airlines, railways, and state transport for your journey schedule," wrote the weather office on social media platform X.

The national capital remained covered with a thick blanket of fog which led to a delay of more than a hundred flights as the visibility remained low in the national capital. The Delhi airport on Thursday (Dec 28) reported that nearly 134 domestic and international flights were delayed, and 35 international departures and 28 international arrivals remained affected.

Meanwhile, there were delays in 43 domestic departures and 28 domestic arrivals on Friday (Dec 28). The New Delhi Railway Station also faced a similar situation when 22 trains were delayed which left passengers stranded in the biting cold.

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Also read: Thick fog blankets North India: Airports battle zero visibility, 11 die in road accidents

A marginal improvement was reported in Delhi's air quality on Friday (Dec 29) as the average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 356. Even though there was little improvement, the air quality continued to remain in the "very poor" category for the next two days.

“The reason the fog situation saw some improvement on Thursday was due to overnight winds in several areas. The wind speed on Wednesday night reached up to 8 kmph, so the fog dissipated. However, on Friday the wind speed will drop,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, a scientist with India Meteorological Department (IMD), while speaking to The Times Of India.

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“We have issued the red warning for Friday, suggesting that the time between 4 am to 10 am could see accidents as visibility will be very low. So, unless it’s very essential, do not take out your vehicle at this time,” Srivastava added. Meanwhile, the IMF issued an orange alert for dense to moderate fog on Saturday (Dec 30).

Air quality likely to deteriorate further

The Met department on Thursday (Dec 28) released INSAT imagery in which a dense fog layer was seen over north India, which affected the regions in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and northwest Madhya Pradesh.

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The dense fog created low visibility conditions in these regions which led to traffic disruptions and accidents. Extending its warning, the IMD predicted dense fog over Punjab and Haryana for the next five days.

For the next three days, Uttar Pradesh is likely to witness dense fog due to which guidelines have been issued by the UP State Road Transport Corporation for bus operations in low visibility conditions.

Watch: Intense cold wave continues in North India, red alert issued in several states due to fog

An advisory was issued by the Delhi Airport Authority in which it was said that flights, which are not compliant with CAT III standards, are likely to face disruptions.

Further, potential health risks related to dense fog were also highlighted by the IMD, which emphasised the presence of pollutants and particulate matter which can adversely affect respiratory health.

“Weather conditions are not favourable for effective dispersion of pollutants. Emissions from firecrackers if burnt on December 31 will further deteriorate air quality… The predominant surface wind is likely to be from the east-southeast direction in Delhi-NCR with a wind speed of 6-4 kmph with partly cloudy sky with dense to very dense fog at most places in the morning on December 29,” predicted the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology's air quality early warning system.

(With inputs from agencies)