Delhi Bathed in Fog: Yellow Alert Issued, Travel Disrupted

Delhi's air quality continues to be poor despite IMD yellow alert, temperature to dip
Delhi has been vulnerable to severe pollution and erratic weather due to the yellow alert issued by the India Meteorological Department. The AQI of Delhi was at 262 at morning in January 22. The Air Quality Early Warning System presented it in the "poor" category. This is after a reading of 289 in the "very poor" category on January 21, indicating not much improvement.

Air Quality Issues For Consecutive Days
Still on the radar is air quality in the national capital because the city quite often reports AQI in the poor to very poor range. A mix of fog and smog impacted morning visibility on January 22. Dense fog would likely prevail at some places. Moderate fog is likely to occur in the morning and evening, said the IMD.

The yellow alert issued by the IMD serves as a warning for residents to prepare for potential weather disruptions, including reduced visibility and possible travel delays. Earlier this week, fog conditions disrupted train services in Delhi, with 19 trains running behind schedule on January 20, as reported by ANI.

Weather Update and Temperature Fluctuations
AQEWS reported 10.4 degrees Celsius at Delhi at 5:30 am on January 22. Though the day was chilly, the city witnessed a relatively warm day on Monday this week with temperature touching a high of 26.1 degrees Celsius on January 19. This is the highest temperature recorded in January since six years, with bright sunshine responsible for the feat.

However, the IMD has predicted a fall in temperatures as there is a possibility of a rain spell. The forecast has very light to light rainfall with thunderstorms on the evening and night of January 22. The minimum and maximum temperatures would remain in the range of 11 and 22 degrees Celsius, respectively, and the cold wave is likely to continue.

Impact of Fog and Smog
The condition of fog and smog has made the city more complicated with regards to the air quality factor. A report states that there is a light veil of fog in the capital, which started early at 8:17 a.m. Smog has been caused at higher levels through a mixture of pollutants and water vapors and poses serious threats to health from the locals' side, specifically for patients who suffer from respiratory illness.

Dense fog is expected to blanket some areas of the region as predicted by IMD, thereby upping the ante in anxiety because poor visibility means inconvenience while travelling and even accidents. It is advisable to remain indoors with poor air quality and there is dense fog.

The situation with the present air quality in Delhi brings up wider concerns in that aspect:
Delhi has not had the best air quality, which spurt into higher levels every winter. Low wind speeds and temperature inversions and biomass crop stubble burning in neighboring states have been significant factors. In fact, for the past decade, the capital has ranked amongst the most polluted capitals in the world, showing a dire need for effective measures to address the problem of air pollution.

Future Ahead
Light rain is thought to provide hope in the short-term improvement of air quality by simply washing away the suspended particles suspended in the air, hence making it fresh once again. It is however short-lived, not to say it addresses the problem causes.

The yellow alert from the IMD puts more emphasis on being aware of the changes in the weather and the air quality. Authorities are still called upon to keep up the measures that curb the emissions and ensure better public health results.

Conclusion
Delhi is again experiencing another spell of bad air and weather conditions that make life miserable for the people here because of smog, fog, and low visibility. Even as IMD predicts light rain may provide some respite in the short term, sustained poor air quality becomes the underpinning reason why solutions to battle pollution in the city are so badly needed for the long term.

Source

This article is based on information from the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS), India Meteorological Department (IMD), and news reports from Business Standard and ANI.