The fog situation seems to have improved in Delhi and its adjoining cities with the air quality getting better after rainfall Wednesday that helped drop the AQI, prompting authorities to revoke the GRAP 4 restrictions.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Thursday revoked Stage-IV measures of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) following a notable improvement in air quality.
Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) on Thursday dropped to 302, categorised as “Very Poor,” from the “Severe ” levels of over 400 recorded earlier this week. On Friday morning, the overall AQI stood at 294.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.
Delhi weather | Flights delayed
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted partly cloudy skies for Friday with smog and dense fog likely in most areas during the morning an very dense fog in isolated pockets.
Shallow fog or smog may persist in the evening and night, IMD said.
A video of the flight chart from the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport shared by news agency ANI showed that several flights were delayed on Friday morning.
Delhi airport said in an advisory at 07:50 am that flights that are not CAT III complaint may get affected, asking passengers to check with the airline concerned to stay updated about the timings.
CAT III facility allows aircraft to operate in low-visibility conditions.
Delhi witnessed clear skies on Thursday following rainfall, with the minimum temperature settling at 10.3 degrees Celsius which is 2.7 notches above normal, officials said.
Delhi’s primary weather station at Safdarjung recorded 3.7 mm of rainfall, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Among other weather stations, Palam recorded 8.6 mm rainfall, Pusa 7.5 mm, and Mayur Vihar 4 mm.
The maximum temperature in Delhi settled at 19.6 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the season,
Delhi experienced very dense fog on the morning of January 15, with visibility dropping to zero at Safdarjung and IGI Airport from 8:30 am, persisting until 11:30 am, the IMD had said. This was the season’s first instance of dense fog, and CAT-III operations extended beyond 9:30 am, it added.
A day after announcing GRAP 4 curbs, Centre’s panel on Delhi-NCR’s air quality on Thursday revoked the restrictions amid dip in pollution levels. The curbs were imposed Wednesday as calm winds, low temperatures and foggy conditions allowed accumulation of pollutants in the region.
Stage 4 curbs include a ban on all construction activities, entry of non-essential polluting trucks into Delhi, and mandatory shifting of school classes, except for classes 10 and 12, to hybrid mode.