Delhi’s air quality remains ‘very poor’, 20 flights diverted due to bad weather

Several flights at Delhi airport were diverted on Saturday morning due to adverse weather conditions, with approximately 20 flights affected, an official said.

According to the official, these flights were redirected to Jaipur, Amritsar, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, and Chandigarh. The diversions occurred between 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM.

Among the diversions, 13 flights were rerouted to Jaipur, while Amritsar received four, and Lucknow, Ahmedabad, and Chandigarh each received one, the official elaborated.

Around 8:10 AM, the Delhi airport posted on X, notifying ongoing implementation of low visibility procedures at the airport.

The Central Pollution Control Board reported that Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) depicted concerning readings across various areas. Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 388, Ashok Vihar at 386, Lodhi Road at 349, and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at 366. This reinforced the prevailing ‘very poor’ air quality in the national capital.

The city’s 24-hour average AQI on Friday stood at 372, maintaining its ‘very poor’ categorisation, while the previous day witnessed an AQI reading of 398, bordering the ‘severe’ level. However, Friday’s temperatures in Delhi saw a slight increase from the preceding day, registering above-normal figures for this period. The minimum temperature rose to 13.3°C, three degrees above normal, and the maximum temperature reached 25.4°C, slightly surpassing the usual range.

The Early Warning System (EWS) of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) anticipated continued ‘very poor’ air quality in Delhi from December 2 to 4. Additionally, the outlook for the subsequent six days indicated a persistence of ‘very poor’ air quality.

Moreover, Saturday in Delhi was characterised by moderate fog, reducing visibility to 400 meters during the early hours. Weather forecasts suggested a sustained meteorological pattern in the coming days, offering no significant alteration in conditions.

November witnessed Delhi experiencing nine days classified as “severe,” with AQI surpassing 400, and another nine days bordering on “near-severe” with AQI levels between 390 and 400. The city encountered ‘very poor’ air quality for 17 days and ‘poor’ air quality for four days.

The Commission for Air Quality Management attributed the deteriorating air quality to unfavourable meteorological conditions and intensified paddy harvesting activities during Diwali in the city and its surrounding regions. (With inputs from PTI)