'Orange' Alert Issued for Delhi Amid Severe Cold Wave

Deteriorating air quality coupled with thick fog slows life in Delhi-NCR on January 15. Delhi and the NCR woke up to a challenging morning on January 15 with dense fog that had already brought visibility in the region down further. The northern India cold wave didn't let the situation improve with temperatures falling continuously. India Meteorological Department sounded an 'Orange' alert for Delhi with dense fog warning people to exercise caution due to hazardous visibility and possible travel disruption. Dense Fog and Temperature Dip IMD data indicates that the minimum temperature in Delhi was at 10°C at 5:30 a.m. on January 15 morning. Dense fog cut the visibility sharply in some areas of the national capital and resulted in zero visibility in a few places, making it hazardous for commuters to travel. The thick fog continued during the day and sharpened the cold wave. The Air Quality Early Warning System, which is an air quality and visibility real-time monitoring platform, forecasted dense fog in parts of Delhi-NCR. It also predicted light rain in the evening and night, bringing further drops in temperatures across the national capital. IMD has also forecasted that the night will see minimum temperature around 9°C going up to maximum of 19°C. However, onset of fog along with the rain expected at night would not really allow the temperatures in the region to reach very high. Transportation is expected to suffer the most The traffic jams were witnessed extensively at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, where bad fog was reportedly resulting in heavy jams. A section of the air traffic faced considerable delays since CAT III flights still continued due to their provision to land safely at takeoffs also during a thick fog but all others experienced this delay as there was an enormous request made from DIAL asking passengers to keep checking about flight status. Yet another sector that had to bear the brunt of severe jolts was the train services from Delhi. As per ANI, 26 trains to Delhi reached late as visibility was very low. It actually started the day before, for the trains arriving in Delhi on January 14 were also not on time. At least 39 trains plying by 6:30 am on January 15 were held up, while the delay differed between 30 minutes and four hours plus. These disruptions have coincided with times when Delhi has already been harassed by its century-old air quality issues, adding to the confusion for commuters and residents alike. Air Quality Degraded Further Due to Smog Air quality in Delhi has remained bad for the last few days other than the prevailing fog. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has on January 14 found that the average AQI recorded in 24 hours had a level of 275, categorised under the "poor" category. This shows how this city keeps struggling against worsening air quality with an apparent assistance of cold and fog in boosting the pollution levels. AQEWS has reported that the AQI is expected to fall in the "very poor" category on 16 January in New Delhi. The whole next week is looking poor. Such conditions along with foggy weather, pose a grave danger to health risks, particularly in the case of children, elders, and those already suffering from the respiratory system-affected people. The long-polluting city of Delhi-NCR has raised public health concerns, and researchers have issued a warning that long-term exposure to high concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) can trigger respiratory problems, cardiac diseases, and aggravate previous conditions. Forecast and Expectations It had a dense grip over the fog of pollution along the city over Delhi-NCR until this week. Weather forecasts said thick fog was accompanied with dark and cloudy clouds along with some patchy light drizzles, because both things will give their contribution by taking temperature down into minus and reduced the visibility even during the following commuting days for most outdoor activités. Delhi AQI to remain "very poor" till January 16 after which it may experience a seesaw of "poor" and "very poor" for a few days. The government has advised its residents to limit their outdoorsy activities, take other safety measures to stay away from this hazardous air polluter. Suggested to People Residential people should take precautions with respect to the air quality being worst in the following days. Everyone, including the person having a respiratory problem, needs to carry the N95 masks while stepping outside. Individuals are requested to keep themselves indoors to the extent possible and not go for any vigorous outdoor activities mostly during the peak hours of pollution. Road safety is going to face yet another test through the cold wave and foggy conditions. If one's vision is poor in some areas, it is advisable to drive slow, use fog lights, maintain proper distance with other vehicles, and avoid accidents as much as possible. Conclusion Delhi-NCR is going to face a very challenging day once again due to dense fog and deteriorating air quality; thus, people along with the administration need to be alert. Where thick fog and subzero temperatures considerably disturb daily routines, the unending air quality emergency does not merit even a single second of notice. For it is known that the air quality prediction for Delhi would be "very poor" in the days ahead. It raises a doubt whether the current fight against pollution over the last one year would bear fruit with such un-satisfactory responses.