?People walk on a road amid dense fog in New Delhi, Dec. 30, 2019. Dense blanket of fog covered Indian capital city New Delhi and outskirts Monday morning, leading to disruptions in air and rail transport, officials said. (Photo by Javed Dar/Xinhua)
NEW DELHI, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Dense blanket of fog covered Indian capital city New Delhi and outskirts Monday morning, leading to disruptions in air and rail transport, officials said.
The fog, according to officials, caused zero visibility impacting the traffic.
On the roads in the capital, the vehicular traffic was plying slowly because of the poor visibility and drivers were seen driving with emergency lights on.
Airline authorities have issued an advisory for passengers taking flights from Indira Gandhi International airport in Delhi. The fog disrupted flight operations at the airport.
"Due to bad weather, flight operations at Delhi airport are affected," a statement issued by Delhi airport said. "Low visibility procedures are still in progress."
The airport authorities urged passengers to get in touch with the concerned airlines for updated information about their flights.
The fog has also impacted train services. Even over two dozens of trains have been deferred and are running late.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi recorded a low of 2.7 degrees Celsius on Monday. The dense fog accompanied with icy winds has added to the miseries of people.
Weather department officials said severe cold weather is likely to remain over northern India for two more days.
Even the air quality in the national capital has fallen to "severe" category mark Monday morning, with the air quality index dangerously high at 450.
Officials attribute the deterioration in air quality and accumulation of pollutants in the city to low temperature along with high humidity and low wind speed.
Reports said the average maximum temperature this month is likely to be 19.15 degrees Celsius. If it happens, then it will be the coldest December since 1997 when it was 17.3 degrees Celsius and the second-coldest December since 1901.