Dense fog covered the iconic Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra on Sunday as temperatures drop in North India. The dense fog, coupled with smog in the region led to a lower visibility in the area.
The air quality in Agra on Saturday was in the ‘moderate’ category with an Air Quality Index of 136 at 4 pm.
Meanwhile, the air quality in Delhi continued to remain in the ‘very poor’ category with an AQI of 311, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. None of the stations in the city, however, reported pollution levels in the ‘severe’ category.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.
#WATCH | Agra, Uttar Pradesh | A thick layer of fog covers the iconic Taj Mahal as the winter season sets in gradually.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board, the air quality in the area is in the ‘Moderate’ category. pic.twitter.com/Kn4RHdaW61
— ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2024
On Thursday, the national capital recorded its coldest night of the season with the nighttime temperature dropping to 9.5 degrees Celsius.
On Sunday, the India Meteorological Department forecasted a moderate fog in the city with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to settle at 27 degrees Celsius and 11 degrees Celsius respectively.
In the wake of the fog, the Railways have cancelled four pairs of express trains for nearly three months (from December to February) to ensure passenger safety and operational efficiency.
Howrah-Dehradun Express, Jhansi-Kolkata Pratham Swatantrata Sangram Express, Kamakhya-Gaya Weekly Express and the New Delhi-Malda Town Express are among the trains that have been cancelled.
“Due to reduced visibility during these months, train movement is reduced to a crawl. To prevent accidents, efforts are made to reduce the number of trains along the affected stretches. Decongestion of tracks also helps in more efficient operations in such weather conditions. We try to select trains that do not receive too much patronage at this time of the year,” a senior official from Eastern Railway’s operations department said.
