New Delhi has found itself enveloped in a dense layer of fog – so much so – that the visibility in certain parts of the Indian capital has fallen to zero.
Coupled with other operational issues, the fog in and around the city has resulted in the delay of 17 trains, railway officials have confirmed to the media.
Presently, Delhi is choking due to "very poor" air quality, with the overall air quality index (AQI) standing at 321.
Visibility recorded at 2330 IST of 22.01.2021 (less than 200 metre):
— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) January 22, 2021
Agra- 0 m; Sultanpur, Varanasi and Bhagalpur-50 m each; Delhi (Palam), Bahraich and Bhagalpur-200 m each. @ndmaindia pic.twitter.com/ADbHkGXj9c
Last few rides in Edwin Lutyens' Delhi...
— Anisha Dutta (@A2D2_) January 24, 2021
Visibility level: 🥶 pic.twitter.com/cZ7iW9cW2r
Usually, the smog situation begins troubling the capital starting in November, when farmers from the neighbouring agricultural states of Punjab and Haryana begin burning their post-harvest farm waste, called stubble.
Following November, the cold winds coming from the Himalayan region bring the foggy climate with them in heavily populated Delhi.
Earlier this week, some researchers from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras stated that the burning of plastic could be a major cause of Delhi’s lasting smog problem.
