Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) witnessed a notable drop, improving from "Severe" levels earlier this week to "Very Poor" on Thursday, with a reading of 302. By Friday morning, the AQI further improved to 294. This reduction in pollution levels follows rainfall on Wednesday, which significantly helped in clearing the air. The improved air quality prompted the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to lift Stage-IV restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

For context, an AQI between 0-50 is classified as "Good," 51-100 as "Satisfactory," 101-200 as "Moderate," 201-300 as "Poor," 301-400 as "Very Poor," and 401-500 as "Severe." The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts partly cloudy skies for Friday, with smog and dense fog expected in most areas during the morning and very dense fog in isolated pockets. Shallow fog or smog is also likely to persist during the evening and night.

Meanwhile, air traffic at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport faced disruptions on Friday morning. A video shared by news agency ANI showed several flights delayed due to the prevailing weather conditions. The airport issued an advisory at 7:50 am, cautioning that flights not equipped with CAT III technology might be affected by the low visibility. Passengers were advised to contact their respective airlines for updated flight schedules. The CAT III system enables aircraft to operate in poor visibility conditions, ensuring smoother operations in challenging weather.

Disclaimer:This image is taken from Vipin Kumar/HT Photo.