 "Dense fog in Delhi puts airport on alert; visibility reduced in Noida")
Delhi AQI today latest news: The air quality in Delhi on Wednesday remained ‘very poor’ at 355 for the 15th straight day since the festival of Diwali, causing health issues such as breathing problems and eye irritation. Dense fog continued to engulf Delhi, while visibility further dropped in Noida and Gurugram during the morning hours, visuals showed.
The Centre-backed System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar) reported that AQI worsened at many places in Delhi, hovering near the ‘severe’ quality mark of 400.
Anand Vihar, dubbed the pollution hotspot, remained one of the most impacted areas with an AQI of 399. Similar conditions were observed in Ashok Vihar, where the AQI stood at 370, and Jahangirpuri at 389.
Foggy morning in Noida
The fog level in Noida has increased from mist to shallow fog, according to data from the meteorological department. The fog is expected to persist tomorrow, after which mist is likely to linger for the next week. The weather body has also predicted that the temperature in the Delhi-NCR region will drop from November 17 onwards, which could further worsen the air quality.
Noida's AQI was recorded at 277, the 24-hour average data showed.
AQI in Delhi today:
Burari: 390
Bawana: 386
IGI Airport: 368
ITO: 378
Mandir Marg: 357
Mundka: 371
Narela: 375
North Campus: 391
Notably, Google’s newly released AQI monitoring feature on its digital maps showed worse levels compared to Safar data. According to Google Maps, AQI in places like Jahangirpuri and Anand Vihar were around 500, breaching the ‘severe’ mark.
Delhi airport on alert flights may be impacted
In view of the situation, the Delhi Airport issued a fog alert in the morning, warning that flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected. Cat-III is one of the categories of procedures followed during low visibility at airports.
“Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted,” it said.
Precautionary measures during high AQI
Doctors have warned that all age groups are at a heightened risk of respiratory illness in such conditions. The anti-pollution body has advised against any physical activity outdoors and urged people with asthma to keep their medicines handy. Individuals should immediately stop any activity if they experience unusual coughing, chest discomfort, wheezing, breathing difficulty, or fatigue.
For precautionary measures at home, windows should remain closed, and the burning of wood, candles, or incense should be avoided. People are advised not to vacuum their houses but to opt for wet mopping to reduce dust. Due to high levels of Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 and 10 in the atmosphere, prolonged exposure to such toxic air can lead to severe health risks.
For context, doctors note that an AQI in the 450-500 range is equivalent to smoking 25 cigarettes daily.