Delhi Air Remains 'Very Poor', Fog Disrupts Flights; Schools Shut For Nursery To Class V

New Delhi: Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) continued to reel under hazardous air conditions on Tuesday, with the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) remaining in the 'Very Poor' category.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI stood at around 378 at 8 am, showing marginal improvement from Monday, when it had slipped into the 'Severe' category at 427.

Despite the slight dip, pollution levels remained alarmingly high across several parts of the national capital.

Even on Tuesday, 11 of 40 monitoring stations recorded 'Severe' air quality. Wazirpur was the worst-affected, recording an AQI of 434, followed by Jahangirpuri at 430. Ghazipur and Anand Vihar also remained in the 'Severe' category with AQI levels around 410. At the same time, areas such as India Gate (380) and Sarai Kale Khan (359) continued to record very poor air quality.

Delhi witnessed its most polluted day of the winter season on Sunday, when the AQI surged to 461.

Meanwhile, the NCR also faced toxic air conditions. AQI in Noida was recorded at 392 at 9 AM, followed by Greater Noida (372), Ghaziabad (366), Faridabad (206), and Gurugram (335).

Dense Fog Reduces Visibility Across Delhi-NCR

North-westerly surface winds provided only minimal relief, dispersing some of the thick, toxic smog and improving visibility only slightly across Delhi and the NCR. Despite this, dense fog during the early morning hours continued to disrupt daily life and transport services severely.

IGI Airport, Airlines Issue Fog Advisories

The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport urgently issued a fog advisory on Tuesday morning, warning passengers of likely disruptions to flight operations due to severely reduced visibility. In a post on X around 6.06 am, Delhi Airport stressed, "Flight operations are slowly recovering, but significant disruptions may persist for certain departures and arrivals."

Passengers were strongly urged to check flight schedules with airlines for up-to-the-minute updates. Airport authorities reported deploying additional ground staff across terminals to assist travellers experiencing disruptions.

Airlines, such as IndiGo, quickly issued advisories to passengers, warning that dangerous winter fog across northern India was severely hampering flight operations and causing delays. The airline stated that its teams were vigilantly monitoring the weather and making rapid operational changes to minimise passenger disruption.

Nursery To Class V Physical Classes Suspended

As air quality rapidly deteriorated, the Delhi government swiftly suspended all physical classes for Nursery to Class V in government, government-aided, and recognised private schools, effective immediately until further orders.

Director of Education Vedita Reddy stressed that the measure was taken urgently to shield children’s health as pollution in the capital escalated to critical levels.

Classes for Class VI and above will proceed as previously directed. All district and zonal Deputy Directors of Education (DDEs) are under strict, urgent instructions to enforce the government order, with school administrations warned against any compromise on children’s health and safety.

Also Read:

1. In Photos: Heavy Smog Blankets Delhi, AQI Worsens
2. Explained: Why The World's Most Polluted Capital Can't Catch A Breath
3. Over 100 Flights Cancelled As Dense Smog Engulfs Delhi-NCR Leading To Near-Zero Visibility