Cold Wave Intensifies in Delhi, AQI Hits 'Very Poor' Mark

A dense fog covered the national capital on Friday morning as the cold wave continued in the city. According to the India Meteorological Department, Delhi recorded a temperature of 9.6 degrees Celsius at 5:30 am on Friday.

The air quality in the nation's capital has deteriorated from 'poor' to 'very poor'. The Central Pollution Control Board reported that Delhi's AQI was 348 at 6 am today.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is classified as 'good', between 51 and 100 as 'satisfactory', between 101 and 200 as 'moderate', between 201 and 300 as 'poor', between 301 and 400 as 'very poor', and between 401 and 500 as 'severe'.

While the cold is intensifying in Delhi-NCR, dense fog was also observed in the region today. Visibility has reduced because of the thick fog in the Delhi-NCR region, causing vehicles to move slowly on the roads.

As the temperature decreases, homeless individuals in the city are increasingly relying on night shelters. Additionally, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has established 235 pagoda tents to accommodate the homeless.

Temporary night shelters have been established in various parts of the national capital, such as AIIMS, Lodhi Road, and under the Nizamuddin flyover.

Due to the chilly weather, people in the capital were observed gathering around bonfires, while some sought refuge in night shelters as temperatures fell.

On Friday, the northern regions of India faced severe cold, with Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, recording a temperature of 8 degrees Celsius at 3:30 am. The local authorities have set up temporary shelters for the homeless.

People from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh were seen in one of these shelters. At 5:30 am, Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a temperature of -1.3 degrees Celsius.

At the same time, Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, recorded a temperature of 10.2 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, IndiGo airline issued a travel advisory on Thursday about its flight operations in Srinagar, which have been affected by snowfall in the region, causing disruptions to flight schedules.

"We hope the snowfall will pause for a while, allowing us to improve your travel experience once more," the airline said.