Pollution Woes Continue As Delhi Wakes Up To Dense Fog; AQI Remains In 'Severe' Category

New Delhi: Delhi residents continue to battle with the air pollution crisis as dense fog and low visibility conditions prevailed across the national capital thereby affecting the flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Tuesday. 

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) in an advisory said “Low Visibility Procedures are in progress at Delhi Airport", while adding that “all flight operations are presently normal."

Meanwhile, over 500 flights were delayed and at least 14 flights were cancelled at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi following low visibility caused by dense fog on Monday (December 22, 2025).

As per the officials, among the cancelled flights- 6 were set for arrival and 8 for departures, including some international services on Monday.

According to the flight tracking website, over 500 flights witnessed delays (average exceeding 30 minutes), as dense fog continued to shroud Delhi. The foggy conditions have led to flight delays at several airports across north India.

Thick smog engulfs Delhi

The national capital woke up to toxic smog and the AQI stood at 509 on Tuesday significantly impairing visibility and affecting residents. The Air Quality Index (AQI) reading soared at 390 at around 11 pm, falling into the 'severe' category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) yesterday.

The air quality spiked to 'severe' levels at certain places. Multiple parts of the city continued to witness alarmingly high pollution levels. Several pollution hotspots included Anand Vihar (432), Ashok Vihar (407), and the ITO area (429), also falling under the 'severe' category across large swathes of the national capital.

India Gate, Kartavya Path and Rashtrapati Bhavan were blanketed by toxic smog, with an AQI of 384 in the area, categorised as 'Very Poor'.

Steps to curb rising pollution levels

Amid worrying pollution woes, the Delhi Government has taken a series of decisive steps to curb rising pollution levels in the national capital and ensure a cleaner environment. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta reiterated that the government will enforce a zero-tolerance policy against all sources of pollution.

High-level review meeting

As air quality in the national capital continues to deteriorate during the winter months, a  high-level review meeting was held on Monday at the Delhi Secretariat to assess pollution control measures and take effective decisions.

Drop in Visibility

As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), visibility at Palam dropped to 300 metres between 10 pm and 12.30 am due to moderate fog. It later improved to 600 metres before declining again to 350 metres amid easterly winds blowing at 7 kmph.

At Safdarjung, visibility dipped to 200 metres between 1.30 am and 2.30 am and gradually improved to 500 metres by early morning.

North India Chokes

Delhi experienced a hard time with low visibility as toxic smog persisted over the city-state early morning. Visibility at Jaipur International Airport and IGI Airport  also dropped, and the AQI (Air Quality Index) around the NH 24 was recorded at 363 according to CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board), which placed it in the "very poor" category.

Visibility also dropped across Haryana's Karnal as a thick layer of dense fog engulfed the region, disrupting daily life and traffic. causing disruptions for domestic and international flights. 

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