Delhi Struggles with Another Day of Fog, Cold, and Poor Air Quality

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Delhi welcomed the new year with a chill, as the city continued to grapple with the same issues that plagued it in the past. Thick fog and low clouds kept the mercury low on Thursday, with the maximum temperature recorded at 17.3°C, two degrees below normal. The minimum temperature was 10.6°C, four degrees above normal, but a 'cold day' was not officially declared. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Friday, warning of dense to very dense fog in parts of the city, while a yellow alert is in place for moderate to dense fog on Saturday. The IMD defines a 'cold day' as a minimum temperature below 10°C and a maximum temperature departure from normal of 4.5°C or more. Meteorological experts attribute the chill to a combination of fog and clouds. "We had cloudiness at the upper levels, which led to a drizzle. We also had shallow fog," said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet. The minimum visibility recorded at both Palam and Safdarjung stood at 500 meters, with isolated parts of Uttar Pradesh recording zero visibility. The air quality index (AQI) remained 'very poor' at 380, making it the seventh straight day of 'very poor' to 'severe' air quality. The AQI was marginally worse than the previous day's reading of 373. In the coming days, the city can expect a sharp dip in minimum temperature, with forecasters predicting a drop below 5°C by the second week of January. The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi (EWS) has forecast the AQI to stay 'very poor' till January 4, 2026. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has lauded the improvement in air quality in 2025, attributing it to science-based action. The city's annual PM2.5 concentration stood at 96 micrograms per cubic meter, a 15% improvement from recent years. Over 12,000 vehicular challans have been issued for violations since October 1, with a total of over 12 lakh challans issued since then.