Amid the prevailing cold wave conditions in the national capital region where the mercury is standing at seven degrees Celsius, Delhi on Wednesday morning woke up to a thick blanket of fog that covered parts of Delhi-NCR and caused visibility to drop to almost zero. Besides Delhi-NCR, the entire North India has been grappling with a cold wave as temperatures continue to plummet in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Delhi-NCR.
As per satellite imagery, a layer of dense fog has shrouded parts of northwest India and adjoining central India, including Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, north Rajasthan, and north Madhya Pradesh.
Agra-Lucknow expressway accident
Three people have died while at least fifteen have been injured as several vehicles collided on the Agra-Lucknow expressway in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao on Wednesday. The collision took place because of the almost zero visibility caused by dense fog.As per reports, the serial collision involved a bus and several cars.
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The post-crash visuals show a Toyota Fortuner SUV crashing into the rear of the bus and a sedan hitting the Fortuner.
The injured were immediately taken to a nearby hospital as ambulances were present at the spot.
Flights delayed and diverted, advisory issued
According to the Delhi Airport Flight Information Display System (FIDS), owing to the dense fog, the airport is facing delays which so far has affected approximately 110 flights.
The arrival of 25 trains was also delayed due to foggy conditions, officials said.
In light of the prevailing situation, Delhi Airport has issued an advisory for the non-CAT III flights stating that while landing and takeoffs continue, flights not compliant with CAT III (Category III) standards are likely to face obstacles. Passengers have been advised to contact their respective airlines for the latest flight information and to check if their flights are CAT III compliant.
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"While landing and takeoffs continue at Delhi airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted," the advisory stated.
In a post on X, DIAL gave a fog alert at around 0730 hrs saying that while landing and takeoffs continue at the Delhi airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected.
"Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted," the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) said in the post.
Kind attention to all flyers!#Fog #FogAlert #DelhiAirport pic.twitter.com/alYrkYgijG
What is CAT III?
Category IIIB Instrument Landing System (CAT III ILS), commonly known as CAT III, is a state-of-the-art anti-fog landing system that pertains to operating flights when the visibility is quite low.
Aircraft that are compliant with CAT III house advanced instrumentation and technology repertoire which facilitates functioning in low-visibility conditions, such as dense fog.
Low visibility on Tuesday
The visibility was recorded at 500m or less in Delhi and its neighbouring areas, with 100m in Delhi's Palam and 200m in Safdarjung, the data at 5.30 am showed.
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The visibility was as low as 200 to 300m on Delhi-Meerut Highway in Ghaziabad. Fog alert was displayed at various points on the highway to caution commuters. The visibility was even recorded at zero in Punjab's Amritsar and Patiala. Similarly, in Haryana's Ambala, the visibility dropped to zero.
