Delhi and north India saw the first day of dense fog on Monday morning that lowered visibility to 150 metres, affecting traffic. According to the IMD, visibility dropped to 150-200 metres at Palam airport between 3.30am and 6am but had improved to 350 metres by 7am. Several trains were affected but no flight was diverted or cancelled. More such days of dense to very dense fog may continue for the next 4-5 days in Delhi and other parts of Indo-Gangetic plains, says IMD. The city’s air quality also deteriorated to the severe category.At least 11 people died and dozens sustained injuries in accidents and vehicle pile-ups in some northern states. While UP reported eight deaths in four districts, three persons died in Punjab.In UP, 18 vehicles collided in Aligarh district, leading to the death of three people. One person died on Hapur-Lucknow highway while a van hit a divider and overturned in Garh Mukteshwar area, causing a 10-vehicle pile-up, late Sunday and killing one person. The same area saw a six-vehicle collision on Monday morning. Three persons died after a truck crashed into a bus on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Auraiya. In Etawah, a pick-up truck rammed into a bike, killing a youth. In Punjab, three people died after a truck hit a tractor-trailer on Nabha-Malerkotla road while there was an 8-vehicle pile-up on the Malout-Bathinda highway.First real feel of winter as dense fog sets in The city on Monday morning saw dense fog that lowered the visibility to 150 metres, marking the first such episode of the season.As the air quality also deteriorated to the ‘severe’ category, the overall visibility was affected by smog.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has cautioned that for the next four-five days, dense or very dense fog during night and morning hours might continue in Delhi and other parts of Indo-Gangetic plains due to low wind speed and high moisture.Very dense fog is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, dense is 51-200 metres, moderate 201-500 metres and shallow 501-1,000 metres.According to IMD, visibility dropped to 150-200 metres at Palam Airport between 3:30am and 6am but improved to 350 metres by 7am.The visibility at IGI airport was about 100 metres till 4am. Airport officials said flight operations were not affected as low visibility procedures were in place from 12am to 4am. “There were no diversions or cancellations. But we are keeping a close watch on forecast and are ready to act accordingly,” said an official.However, the fog did impact several trains, according to a northern railway spokesperson. “We have taken precautionary measures. Speed restrictions are put in place in such conditions. Safety is our priority. Passengers are informed about schedules through announcements and other means,” he said.Not just Delhi, most parts of the northern plains were covered with fog, IMD added. Satellite images showed a thick layer of fog extending from Punjab to eastern UP and across Haryana too.”Due to moisture and light winds at lower tropospheric levels over Indo-Gangetic plains, dense to very dense fog in many pockets is very likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and UP during the next three days and dense fog in isolated pockets for the subsequent two days,” said an IMD statement.The department also issued an advisory pointing out difficult driving conditions on highways, with possibility of collisions and tripping of power lines. It also warned of “likely train delays, diversions and cancellations”. “Airport operations are likely to be affected with flight delays and cancellations,” IMD added.The weather department also cautioned about the impact of smog on health, saying long exposure to fog can cause wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath, especially those with asthma, and also lead to eye irritation. It suggested that travellers carry essential items like water and medicine on long journeys.R K Jenamani, senior scientist at IMD, said, “Most of the time visibility was 200-300 metres. Low wind speed and high moisture were the reasons. There could be fog between 1am and 6am over the next few days too.”In 2021, the season’s first dense fog episode was recorded on December 21.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/11-killed-as-seasons-1st-fog-in-north-india-leads-to-pile-ups/articleshow/96354905.cms