‘Orange alert’ on breathing! Delhi’s air again ‘very bad’, dense fog stops flights, IMD gives big warning

When the people of Delhi-NCR opened their eyes this morning, they did not see a clear sky, but a thick white sheet of smog and poisonous smoke. Sore throat and burning eyes… Welcome to the second day of the year 2026, where even breathing has become a punishment.

The capital Delhi is in the grip of ‘very bad’ air and dense fog today. The situation is so serious that the Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an ‘Orange Alert’ for Delhi. This morning the average Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded at 369, which is very dangerous for health.

‘Blinding’ fog at the airport, passengers’ journey becomes ‘waiting’

The worst impact of this double blow has been on air traffic. There is an atmosphere of chaos at Delhi’s IGI Airport since morning.

• Major airlines like IndiGo and Air India have issued advisories for their passengers, stating that flights may be delayed due to dense fog and low visibility.
• All passengers have been advised to check the status of their flight before leaving home, so that they do not have to wait for hours at the airport.

These areas of Delhi become ‘Red Zone’, the air is the most poisonous

Although the condition of entire Delhi is bad, but the air in some areas has reached ‘severe’ category:

• NSIT Dwarka: AQI 411 (severe)
• JLN Stadium: AQI 362 (very poor)
• Mundka: AQI 347 (very poor)
• Dwarka Sector 8: AQI 338 (very poor)
• ITO: AQI 326 (very poor)

What will happen next? What relief will we get? (weather forecast)

According to the Meteorological Department, there is little hope of getting relief this entire week.

• January 2 (today): There will be very dense fog in the morning.
• January 3: There will be dense fog in the morning, but conditions may improve slightly during the day.
• 4 to 7 January: Fog will reduce slightly, but moderate level fog will persist.

At present, the third phase of GRAP (GRAP-3) is implemented in Delhi to deal with pollution, under which many restrictions have been imposed. But the weather is not cooperating, due to which the situation is out of control. Doctors have given strict instructions to children and elderly people to avoid leaving the house in the morning and evening.