Light to moderate rain lashed out in parts of Delhi and the national Capital region on Saturday evening leading to traffic jams and cold wave conditions. The instant rain triggered traffic congestion at key routes in Delhi at the peak hours, frustrating commuters. ISBT Kashmiri Gate, ITO, Mehrauli Badarpur road, Anand Vihar road, Chirag Dilli, Dhaula Kuan, Sainik Farm, Azad Market road, Karol Bagh, Peeragarhi Road, New Rohtak Road are among those stretches that witnessed traffic jams during the peak hours in the evening. The weather department forecasts that weather is expected to remain the same on Sunday.
The minimum temperature was recorded a low of 7.7 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, moderate to dense fog continued to blanket parts of Delhi and its adjoining areas on Saturday, prompting the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) to issue multiple advisories overnight, asking passengers to contact airline concerned to be updated about flight status. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), dense to very dense fog conditions likely to continue over North, East and Northeast India during next 2- 5 days.
According to the weather department, Safdarjung observed minimum visibility of 50 metre from 12.30 am to 1.30 am which improved thereafter becoming 200 metre and continues to remain so 7.30 am. The humidity was 100 per cent during the day.
In comparison to recent days, early morning temperatures have dipped between 8 and 11 degrees Celsius, highlighting the ongoing cold conditions.
The maximum temperature settled as 17 degrees Celsius, three notches below the season’s average, the IMD said. Parts of the national capital, including the Central Delhi area, received light rain.
Forty-five trains were delayed as a thick layer of fog engulfed the city in the morning, reducing visibility which impacted train operations, officials said.
In its advisory, the IMD has cautioned that dense fog may affect some airports, highways and railway routes in the areas of met- sub-division. It has advised travellers to be careful while driving or outing through any transport.
“Unless taken precautionary measures, it may lead to some road traffic collisions,” it said. The weather department also stated there are chances of tripping of power lines in the very dense fog routes.
“A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from the night of 14th January, 2025. Under its influence, Isolated rainfall/snowfall activity likely over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh during15th -17th and Isolated rainfall activity over East Rajasthan on 14th & 15th January,” it added.
Meanwhile, the Centre for Holistic Development (CHD), an NGO working for the welfare of homeless, on Saturday claimed that at least 474 homeless people in Delhi have died due to exposure to the cold between November 15, 2024, and January 10, 2025.
There is no official data on the same.
In a letter addressed to Delhi Chief Secretary Dharmendra and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) Chief Executive Officer Ravi Dhawan, CHD cited police statistics, indicating that an alarming 80 per cent of “unidentified dead bodies” in the city are believed of homeless individuals.
“Between November 15 2024 to January 10, 2025, 474 homeless people died in Delhi due to the ‘winter exposure’ and unavailability of essential protective measures such as warm clothing, blankets, or adequate shelter,” the NGO claime
