7 Delhi-bound flights diverted as visibility plunges to zero, train ops hit too
It has been the most intense and longest duration of dense fog this winter with many parts in North India reporting zero visibility
Delhi airport authorities on Sunday morning (January 14) diverted seven Delhi-bound flights due to bad weather as a blinding layer of fog shrouded the Indo-Gangetic plains in North India, with visibility levels plunging to zero at several places.
Six flights were diverted to Jaipur and one to Mumbai between 4.30 am and 7.30 am, according to an airport official. The dense fog also “impacted” the schedule of 22 Delhi-bound trains, according to Indian Railways.
A blinding layer of fog enveloped Delhi and other parts of North India on Sunday (January 14), with visibility levels plunging to zero at several places. The Palam Observatory near the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi reported dense fog with visibility levels plunging to zero by 5 am.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has advised people to avoid unnecessary travel and to take precautions while driving.
A spokesperson for the Indian Railways said fog impacted the schedules of “22 trains arriving in Delhi". Satellite imagery showed a layer of dense fog extending from Punjab and north Rajasthan to the northeast. Patches of fog were also visible along the east coast.
An IMD official said dense fog engulfed Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, North Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh starting at 10 pm on Saturday (January 13).
“This is the first time this winter season that zero-metre visibility was reported from Amritsar to Dibrugarh across Ganganagar, Patiala, Ambala, Chandigarh, Delhi, Bareilly, Lucknow, Bahraich, Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Tezpur (Assam)," the IMD official said. "It has been the longest duration of dense fog this season. Also, it is the most intense so far," he added.
Commuters should be extremely careful while driving on highways and use fog lights, the IMD said.
At 5:30 am, visibility levels stood at 25 metres in Patiala, Ambala, Bahraich (UP), Purnia (Bihar), and Palam (Delhi), and 50 metres in Amritsar, Chandigarh, Safdarjung (Delhi), Bareilly, Lucknow, Varanasi, Dibrugarh, and Tezpur (Assam).
Guwahati (Assam), Kailashahar, and Agartala (Tripura) reported a visibility level of 200 metres.
(With agency inputs)