Dense fog enveloped Delhi and adjoining areas on Friday morning, leading to disruptions in flight and train operations due to poor visibility. The visibility in parts of the national Capital fell below 50 metres, The Times of India reported.

At the Indira Gandhi International Airport, arrivals and departures were largely put on hold, and two flights between 5.30 am and 8.30 am were diverted, PTI reported. At the Delhi airport, the minimum runway visibility required to take off is 125 metres. At least 10 trains in Delhi were delayed in on Friday morning due to low visibility, ANI reported.

The India Meteorological Department has said that dense to very dense fog will prevail in western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan for the next two days, NDTV reported. Cold wave conditions will continue in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh Punjab, Haryana and Chhattisgarh, the weather department said.

Air quality deteriorates again

On Thursday, Delhi’s air quality declined to “severe” category due to reduced wind speed. According to the Central Pollution Control Board data, the overall air quality index in the city was 434.

A report released by NGO Lung Care Foundation on Thursday had said that air quality tests done in Delhi and Gurugram over the last two months showed the presence of alarming levels of toxic heavy metals, PTI reported. “It is a matter of very serious concern that such high levels of these toxic metals are found in the air that our children breathe,” said Arvind Kumar of Lung Care Foundation.