Delhi airport issues advisory as thick smog blankets city; Air quality worsens with AQI at 358

A dense blanket of smog lingered over Delhi and the National Capital Region on Thursday morning, pushing air quality deeper into unhealthy territory. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board showed the city’s AQI slipping to 358, with four of Delhi’s 39 monitoring stations registering readings in the severe category and several others close behind.

Across Delhi, Noida, and other NCR areas, visibility dropped sharply as a thick haze reduced sightlines during the early hours. The India Meteorological Department had flagged foggy conditions for Thursday morning but stated that daytime winds would help prevent the haze from persisting throughout the day, allowing visibility to gradually improve.

On Wednesday, the city’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 334. Neighbouring NCR cities also remained under stress, with Noida at 331, Greater Noida at 310 and Gurugram at 279.

The IMD said surface winds are expected to blow from the northwest at up to 10 kmph during the morning, strengthening to around 15 kmph in the afternoon before easing below 10 kmph from the west by evening and night. These shifting wind patterns are likely to aid the dispersion of fog and improve daytime conditions.

Airport and airlines issue advisories

Amid the low visibility, Delhi airport issued an advisory to travellers, cautioning that foggy conditions were affecting the capital. While flight operations remained normal, passengers were advised to check with their airlines for updates.
“Low visibility procedures are in progress at Delhi airport,” the advisory said.

Airlines, including Air India and SpiceJet, also alerted passengers, urging them to verify flight status before heading to the airport, as fog across Delhi and parts of north India could disrupt schedules.

Looking ahead, the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi has projected that AQI levels are likely to swing between very poor and severe over the next six days. Weather officials also expect no major change in minimum temperatures across northwest India over the next two days, followed by a gradual rise of about 2 degrees Celsius thereafter.

Despite December nearing its midpoint, Delhi-NCR has not yet experienced a cold wave. On Wednesday, the city recorded a minimum temperature of 10.4°C, which was 2.3 degrees below normal, while the maximum touched 24.7°C, around 2.5 degrees above normal, IMD data showed.

GRAP IV kicks in

Meanwhile, stricter pollution controls kicked in on Thursday under GRAP IV, the toughest phase of the anti-pollution plan. Fuel supply will be denied to vehicles without valid Pollution Under Control Certificates, and all non-Delhi vehicles below BS-VI norms have been barred from entering the capital.