Happy New Year, Delhi! First morning of the year in ‘Gas Chamber’, more than 140 flights affected, AQI crosses 473

Forget about ‘Happy New Year’, for the people of Delhi-NCR, the first morning of 2026 has started with ‘guard’ on their breath. Today, on January 1, the capital Delhi is wrapped in such a thick blanket of dense fog and poisonous smoke that it seems as if the entire city has become a ‘gas chamber’.

The situation is so bad that Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 473 this morning, which falls in the ‘hazardous’ category and is a kind of ‘health emergency’.

‘Blinding’ fog, brake on speed

Vehicles are crawling on the roads because visibility in areas like Palam and Safdarjung is less than 50 meters, meaning it is difficult to see even a few steps away. This dense fog has had the worst impact on air traffic.

Chaos at the airport, passengers’ New Year plans ruined!

Due to dense fog, there is chaos at Delhi’s IGI Airport since Tuesday night:

• Big airlines like IndiGo and Air India have issued advisories to their passengers asking them to check their flight status before reaching the airport.
• On Wednesday, more than 140 flights were either canceled or badly delayed, and the situation remains the same even today.
• Air India has launched an initiative called ‘FogCare’ to help passengers, in which passengers can change their flights to a later date without paying any extra charges.

So why did so much ‘poison’ dissolve in the air of Delhi suddenly?

The Meteorological Department says that the wind speed has stopped completely and the cold has increased. Because of this, all the toxic smoke (PM2.5 and PM10) from vehicles and factories remains trapped in the air and is unable to fly. There is no hope of getting relief from this ‘double attack’ (fog + pollution) for the next 48 hours.

Will rain wash away this ‘poison’ of Delhi?

The Meteorological Department has predicted light rain in Delhi today, which has given rise to a small ray of hope.

• If there is good rain, it can wash away the poison in the air.
• But, if only drizzle occurs, it can further increase the moisture and make the fog even denser and more dangerous than before.

At present, doctors have given strict instructions to children and the elderly not to leave the house at all.