Heavy fog envelops Delhi-NCR: Several flights affected, air quality driven to red zone

National Capital Region woke up to near zero visibility due to thick fog cover on Thursday. Winter season’s first fog that started on Wednesday has affected a large number of flights and has drove Delhi’s air quality to red mark. 

With a drop in wind speed and the return of fog, the air quality of the national capital turned 'severe', following a fairly long period when strong wind movement had helped keep the pollutants at bay.

The air quality index of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had Delhi's air in the 'severe' category with a reading of 410, which may affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing respiratory ailments.

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Cold and dry and northwesterly winds are giving way to easterly winds, which will spike the volume of pollutants in Delhi’s air, a senior IMD official explained.

“The entire Indo-Gangetic Plain is under the blanket of fog. In Delhi, the fog may mix with pollutants to turn into smog. The situation will persist for the next two-three days,” the official said.

Meanwhile, more than 60 flights were affected on Wednesday at the airport in Delhi, with nearly 50 of them getting delayed as a thick blanket of fog engulfed the national capital on Wednesday morning.

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