Delhi woke up to another winter morning shrouded in dense smog on Monday, with air quality remaining in the ‘severe’ category for the third consecutive day. According to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, the overall AQI stood at 457 at 6 am - extremely hazardous conditions across the national capital.
Visibility had sharply dropped in many city areas, the thick haze making it very difficult to see even short distances ahead. The worsening conditions also raised concerns over flight operations, prompting advisories from airlines and airport authorities.
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Several stations touch maximum AQI limit
Pollution levels deteriorated further over the weekend. At least four monitoring stations - Ashok Vihar, Jahangirpuri, Rohini and Wazirpur - recorded an AQI of 500 around 7 am, the highest level reported by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
In all, 38 of the 39 active monitoring stations in Delhi recorded AQI in either the ‘severe’ or ‘severe-plus’ categories at different points on Sunday. Data show 13 stations repeatedly topping AQI levels above 490 for many hours, indicative of the scale of exposure across the city.
According to a report by The Hindustan Times, since the AQI scale does not extend beyond 500, officials stated that actual pollution levels, let alone hourly readings, could have been even higher.
Visibility plummets, flights likely to be affected
Visibility at Delhi Airport dropped as low as 50 metres at around 7 am, according to the India Meteorological Department. The weather office had issued a dense fog warning for the morning and forenoon hours based on observations from the Safdarjung observatory.
Delhi airport, therefore, issued a travel advisory on Monday, December 15, cautioning passengers that flight operations may experience delays and disruptions due to low visibility.
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The maximum temperature was recorded at 23°C, while the minimum reached 8°C, according to the Met department.
Worst-hit areas across the capital
The other most polluted places included Anand Vihar (493), DTU (482), Punjabi Bagh (480), Okhla Phase-2 (480), Patparganj (476) and North Campus, DU (473). Videos shared by news agency ANI showed smog blanketing areas such as Barakhamba Road, Akshardham and Bawana, underlining how widespread the episode has become.
