Delhi faced a chaotic Monday morning as dense smog blanketed the city, disrupting train and flight operations and causing significant delays. Poor visibility, a result of the deteriorating air quality, brought parts of the national capital to a near standstill.
At Indira Gandhi International Airport, over 160 flights were delayed until 8:30 am. This included 118 departures and 43 arrivals, with average delays of 22 minutes. Seven flights were canceled. The airport implemented low visibility procedures and issued an advisory urging passengers to check with airlines for updated flight information and potential schedule changes.
The railways also faced disruptions, with more than 28 trains arriving at New Delhi and Anand Vihar Railway stations delayed by two to nine hours. Stranded passengers, bound for various destinations, waited outside the stations as smog engulfed the surroundings.
The smog is a direct consequence of the severe air pollution levels in Delhi, which reached the ?severe plus? category on Monday morning with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 481. This has led to the activation of Stage IV measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the highest level of emergency action aimed at curbing pollution levels in Delhi-NCR.
The situation underscores the urgent need for measures to tackle the worsening air quality, which has increasingly disrupted daily life in the national capital.
