Respite from intense cold in Delhi but air pollution remains 'severe'; 19 trains running
NEWE DELHI: There was little respite from freezing cold in the national capital but the air quality was recorded in the 'severe' category in several areas on Friday morning. According to the data provided by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the Air Quality Index (AQI) was at 418 in the 'severe' category in Anand Vihar, at 372 in 'very poor' category in RK Puram and at 429 in 'severe' category in Rohini.
Delhi: Air Quality Index (AQI) at 418 in 'severe' category in Anand Vihar, at 372 in 'very poor' category in RK Puram, and at 429 in 'severe' category in Rohini according to Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) data. pic.twitter.com/3gkpn1kvWX
— ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2020
Meanwhile, the major pollutants PM 2.5 was recorded at 302 in 'very poor' category and PM 10 at 283 in 'poor category' in Lodhi Road area, according to the Air Quality Index (AQI).
Delhi: Major pollutants PM 2.5 at 302 in 'very poor' category & PM 10 at 283 in 'poor category' in Lodhi Road area, according to the Air Quality Index (AQI) data. pic.twitter.com/XTPOnqR5Ma
— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2020
At least 19 Delhi-bound trains were reported to be running late due to low visibility in the Northern Railway region on Friday morning. A senior Northern Railway official said that the Bhubaneshwar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express was delayed by seven hours, followed by Nanded-Amritsar Sachkhand Express running behind schedule by six hours. Meanwhile, the Jabalpur-Hazrat Nizamuddin Express, Hyderabad-New Delhi Telangana Express and Lok Manya Tilak-Haridwar Express were all delayed by five hours.
Running late by three hours and 30 minutes was the Katra-Mangalore Navyug Express, followed by the Howrah-New Delhi Poorva Express which was delayed by three hours. On Thursday, 21 Delhi-bound trains were delayed.
However, the flight operations were normal at Delhi Airport.
The IMD has predicted that a dense layer of fog will prevail in the national capital on Friday and the maximum and minimum temperatures will hover around 22 and 6 degrees Celsius Celsius respectively. It further said that the air quality would fluctuate between the “very poor” and “severe” categories until widespread rains washed away the pollutants.
An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor and 401-500 is marked as severe/hazardous.
To keep a check on fog-related accidents, the Delhi Traffic Police had issued an advisory with precautions for vehicles plying the roads early in the morning.
On Monday, a car with 11 people on board fell into a canal in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida killing six, including two children. According to the police, the accident happened due to fog. In the past week, several flights and trains have been delayed or diverted due to foggy conditions in Delhi. A situation which is not likely to improve any time soon.
The Delhi Traffic police advised vehicles to drive slow, to use low-beam headlights and to keep windows and mirrors clean.
Here's the list of Do's and Don'ts released by the Delhi Traffic Police:
Do's:
1. Before you drive -- and during your trip - check weather forecasts.
2. If there is a fog warning, delay your trip until it clears otherwise during fog, follow these safe-driving tips:-
- Slow down gradually and drive at a speed that suits the conditions.
- Make sure the full lighting system of your vehicle is turned on.
- Use your low-beam headlights, High beams reflect off the moisture droplets in the fog, making it harder to see.
- If you have fog lights on your vehicle, use them, in addition to your low-beams.
- Be patient, Avoid passing, changing lanes and crossing traffic.
- Use pavement marking to help guide you. Use the right edge of the road as a guide, rather than the centre line.
- Increase your following distance. You will need extra distance to brake safely - Look and listen for any hazard that may be ahead.
- Reduce the distractions in your vehicle. For example, turn off your cell phones and music, since your full attention is required.
- Watch for any electronically operated warning signs.
- Keep looking ahead as far as possible.
- Keep your windows and mirrors clean. Use your defroster and wipers to maximize your vision.
- If the fog is too dense to continue, pull completely off the road and try to position your vehicle in a safe parking area. Turn on your emergency flashers, in addition to keeping on your low-beam headlights.
Don'ts:
1. Don't stop on the travelled portion of the road. You could become the first link in a chain-reaction collision.
2. Don't speed up suddenly, even if the fog seems to be clearing. You could find yourself suddenly back in fog.
3. Don't speed up to pass a vehicle moving slowly or to get away from a vehicle that is following too closely.
4. Do not overdrive your headlights.
The national capital recorded the coldest December in almost a century with temperatures on Monday reaching a maximum of 9.4 degree Celsius while the minimum temperature was 2.6 degrees Celsius. The unprecedented cold wave is likely to continue over to the new year, IMD officials had warned.
