New Delhi: As the cold wave hit the city on Tuesday morning, bringing with it freezing temperatures and icy winds, Delhi was covered in a dense layer of fog. At 5:30 am on Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department reported a temperature of 11.6 degrees Celsius in Delhi.

The Met Department predicts that the day’s lowest temperature will be 8 degrees Celsius, with a high temperature of around 19 degrees Celsius with “dense fog” covering the city.

Several individuals resorted to the night shelters during Delhi’s intense cold wave to protect themselves from the icy and piercing winds. In the national capital, people sat near a campfire to stay warm as the temperature dropped.

Additionally, 235 pagoda tents have been erected by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to house the homeless. AIIMS, Lodhi Road, and the Nizamuddin flyover are among the locations in the national capital where night shelters have been erected.

Numerous trains were delayed as a result of the heavy fog interfering with railway operations.

About 25 trains, including the Poorva Express, Vikramshila Express, RJPB Tejas Express, Patalkot Express, Mewar Express, and others, are reportedly running past time.

According to statistics from the Central Pollution Control Board, the AQI was classified as “very poor” at 310 at 6 a.m. on Tuesday. Over the previous four days, Delhi’s AQI has been in the “very poor” category.

A score of zero to fifty is regarded as “good,” 51 to 100 as “satisfactory,” 101 to 200 as “moderate,” 201 to 300 as “poor,” 301 to 400 as “very poor,” and 401 to 500 as “severe.”

Following a notable improvement in the air quality index (AQI), the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) annulled the Stage-III steps under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR on Sunday.

However, authorities said on Sunday that Stage I and Stage II precautions would continue to be in place.

Following an assessment of the air quality data and the IMD/IITM projections, the Sub-Committee on GRAP made the decision after seeing a decreasing trend in AQI readings.

In response to yet another spike in air pollution, the CAQM implemented Stage-III limitations under the GRAP across the Delhi-NCR area on Friday. GRAP Stage-III was already removed on December 27.

Based on the severity of the Air Quality Index (AQI), Delhi-NCR has established a series of emergency measures known as the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to combat air pollution. In GRAP Stage III, unnecessary building is prohibited. Under Stage III, classes up to grade V must switch to hybrid mode. Wherever possible, parents and kids may choose online learning.