Delhi-NCR plunges into zero visibility, toxic fog and severe pollution bring travel to standstill

Dense, suffocating fog blanketed Delhi-NCR on January 18, plunging visibility to zero and bringing air and rail travel to a near standstill amid a relentless cold wave. The city shivered through a minimum temperature of 5.3°C well below seasonal norms, while the Air Quality Index (AQI) soared to a hazardous 439, choking the capital under a toxic haze.

At Safdarjung, visibility was completely wiped out, forcing airlines including Air India and IndiGo to warn travelers of widespread delays. Flight operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport faced a staggering 35% delay in departures and 27% in arrivals, with trains bearing the brunt as dozens suffered delays stretching up to 12 hours.

Premier services like the Rajdhani, Duronto, and Garib Rath Express were among those severely disrupted.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) responded swiftly, imposing the strictest GRAP-IV pollution curbs—measures reserved for the gravest smog crises—to combat the escalating health hazard.

Experts cited a deadly combination of meteorological factors including a western disturbance and stagnant weather conditions that trapped pollutants in the capital’s atmosphere, worsening the already severe air quality.

Despite a slight warming trend during the day, winter nights remain biting cold as Delhi’s temperatures linger below those of northern hill stations like Shimla and Dharamshala. Beyond Delhi-NCR, dense fog plunged cities such as Bareilly, Lucknow, and Kushinagar into near-zero visibility, amplifying travel chaos across northern India.

With hazardous smog choking the city’s air and transportation snarled, residents brace for continued disruption amid one of the harshest winter spells in recent memory.