National Desk, 2nd Jan: The Indian Railways has officially declared that dense fog in Delhi is causing significant delays in train services, affecting a total of 26 trains due to low visibility. This setback coincides with challenging weather conditions in the national capital, impacting not only rail but also air travel.
The foggy conditions in Delhi are attributed to Western Disturbances, bringing moisture from the Mediterranean. The Himalayas exacerbate the situation by hindering the eastward movement of fog, causing it to concentrate over the Indo-Gangetic region.
Indira Gandhi International Airport has also been affected, experiencing visibility dropping to as low as 50 meters, leading to numerous flight delays.
Indian Railways provided specific details on the delays, highlighting trains such as the Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express delayed by 7 hours and the Kanpur-New Delhi Shramshakti by approximately 3 hours and 50 minutes. Other trains, including the Howrah-New Delhi Poorva Express and the Saharsa-New Delhi Vaishali Express, faced delays of 5 and 4 hours respectively.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued alerts for dense to very dense fog with visibility less than 50 meters in areas over Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi from January 1st to 3rd. Moreover, severe cold days with minimum temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius were expected in many pockets of these regions on January 1st and 2nd.
Concerns also arose regarding the air quality in Delhi, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) standing in the ‘very poor’ category on January 2, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data indicating an AQI of 346 at 6:30 am.
Travelers in Delhi and surrounding regions received advisories to plan accordingly, acknowledging the anticipated continuation of these challenging conditions, impacting daily commutes and travel plans for several days.
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