Dense to very dense fog covered parts of Delhi-NCR on Saturday morning, resulting in extremely low visibility. This has further impacted the movement of flights and trains to and from the national capital.
Around 80 flights were delayed at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport till 8:30 am today due to weather conditions, news agency ANI reported citing sources. The low visibility also delayed arrival and departure of several Delhi-bound trains.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that dense to very dense fog conditions will continue in most places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi till the morning of December 31 and in some pockets for subsequent three days.
The weather department on Friday issued a "cold-day" alert and said "dense to very dense fog" is likely to be witnessed in Delhi-NCR for the next two days.
"Cold-day conditions are very likely in some to many parts of Delhi on December 30 and 31," the IMD added.
The minimum temperatures are in the range of 7-11 degree Celsius over most parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and in range of 12-14 degree Celsius over Bihar, Chhattisgarh, interior Odisha and Jharkhand.
The maximum temperature of the national capital settled at 19.8 degrees Celsius on Friday, a notch below the season's average. The minimum temperature was recorded at 10.7 degrees Celsius, four notches above the season's average.
On Friday, Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia said that several measures are being put in place to deal with the fog situation in Delhi and the northern part of the country.
In an interview with news agency PTI, Scindia said that this is a transitory phenomenon and that this year the density of the fog has been more intense than usual.
"Fog issue is an issue that we encounter 15-20 days every year... this year, there has been unprecedented fog for the last three or four days. We are coordinating with all the airlines to make sure that they have CAT II and CAT III-trained pilots during fog hours, thereby easing congestion," Scindia said. CAT II and III requirement pertains to operation of flights in low visibility conditions.
Also Read: Ayodhya Airport Inauguration: Temple town all set for a Rs 15,700 crore makeover