Delhi Air Quality Worsens: Thick Smog Disrupts Visibility and Health

Delhi woke up to yet another morning with a thick layer of smog surrounding the national capital. The air quality index (AQI) registered a severe level of 432, showing a slight improvement from the 452 recorded at 11 pm yesterday. Visibility at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport dropped to 500 meters till 6:30 am, down from 800 meters an hour earlier. Low visibility is expected to impact flights to and from Delhi, with possible delays or changes to schedules in place to manage conditions.According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), several areas in the capital region recorded an AQI of over 450. Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Bawana, Dwarka, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, Najafgarh, Lajpat Nagar, Patparganj, Punjabi Bagh, RK Puram, Rohini, Vivek Vihar, and Wazirpur are among several areas in Delhi where the average AQI was recorded in the ‘severe’ category, exceeding 450, at 6 am.Anand Vihar recorded the highest AQI at 473, followed closely by Patparganj at 472, Ashok Vihar at 471, and Jahangirpuri at 470.Earlier this morning, IndiGo issued a travel advisory on its official X handle, asking passengers to monitor their flight status. The airline warned that some flights may experience delays due to “winter fog.”