Fog Delays 100 Flights, 26 Trains As Delhi Imposes GRAP 3 to Tackle 'Severe' AQI

Delhi was blanketed by thick fog Friday morning, reducing visibility to zero and disrupting air and train services, according to PTI. Over 100 flights at Indira Gandhi International Airport were delayed, and 26 trains were running late. The minimum temperature dropped to 6 degrees Celsius, 0.9 degrees below normal. The air quality index (AQI) was recorded as "severe" with pollutants at 408 at 9 am.

On Thursday, Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddh Nagar imposed a ban on construction and demolition, and restriction on the movement of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

At 4 pm on Thursday, Delhi's AQI was 357 in the very poor range. However, the AQI rose to 393 in the higher end of the very poor category at 9 pm on Thursday. Stage III of GRAP was imposed to prevent further deterioration in air quality. This is the fourth time this winter that Stage III has been enforced in NCR.

“The forecasts from IMD/ IITM also suggest a likelihood of the average AQI of Delhi to particularly remain in this adverse range for a few days owing to unfavourable meteorological conditions,” CAQM said on Thursday.

As part of Stage III, Delhi government will impose strict restrictions on the plying of Delhi-registered, diesel-operated medium goods vehicles (MGVs) of BS-IV standards and below. Additionally, BS-IV and below diesel-operated light commercial vehicles (goods carriers), registered outside Delhi, have been barred from entering the city. However, vehicles carrying essential commodities or providing essential services are exempted.