New Delhi, Dec 30 : A combination of winter chill, severe air pollution, and dense fog on Tuesday created a dire situation across the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). Authorities have issued an alert for extremely dense fog for two consecutive days, while the Air Quality Index (AQI) has exceeded 450 in several areas, raising serious health concerns.

The situation worsened significantly, with visibility dropping to zero in many locations on Monday night. This severely disrupted road, rail, and air traffic, causing delays and safety risks for commuters.

According to data from various air quality monitoring stations in Delhi, the AQI was recorded at 451 in Anand Vihar, 433 in Ashok Vihar, 446 in Rohini, 449 in Wazirpur, and 432 in Chandni Chowk. Other areas also reported alarming levels, with the AQI reaching 411 at DTU Delhi, 410 at Siri Fort, 401 at Shadipur, 426 at Punjabi Bagh, and 421 at Sonia Vihar. In Bawana, the AQI stood at 368, while Alipur recorded 379 and Vivek Vihar 380.

All these readings fall under the â??very poorâ?? category, which is considered extremely hazardous to human health. The situation remains equally alarming in neighbouring cities of Noida and Ghaziabad.

In Noida, AQI levels were recorded at 433 in Sector-1, 388 in Sector-125 and 372 in Sector-62. Ghaziabad reported even worse conditions, with the AQI touching 459 in the Vasundhara area. Other localities such as Sanjay Nagar, Indirapuram, and Loni recorded AQI levels of 393, 382, and 360, respectively. These figures indicate that the entire NCR continues to remain under the grip of severe pollution.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast â??extremely dense fogâ?? during the morning hours of December 30, followed by â??dense fogâ?? till the afternoon. The maximum temperature for the day was recorded at 21 degrees Celsius, while the minimum dropped to 8 degrees Celsius. Humidity levels reached 100 per cent, further worsening the foggy conditions.

The IMD has also issued a warning for dense fog on the morning of December 31. However, light rain or drizzle is expected on January 1, which may bring some relief from pollution and fog conditions.

/IANS