Vizagites were in for a surprise as a thick fog enveloped the city affecting visibility till around 9 a.m. on Thursday. Though fog in winter is not unusual, most road users felt that the poor visibility even at 9 a.m. could be due to pollution. Sun, incidentally the day being Radha Saptami and celebrated as the Sun god’s birthday, was not severe throughout the day and late in the afternoon there were traces of fog.
Traffic policemen, wearing nose masks, were seen advising motorists to go slow at Convent junction in view of the poor visibility. Motor vehicles proceeded slowly on the National Highway as fog obstructed the view. The fog enveloped the Asilametta flyover, LIC building, the Beach Road and almost all areas in the city.
The Air India flight from Dubai to Vizag via Hyderabad, which arrived at the Vizag Airport at 8 a.m. could not land due to poor visibility and returned to Hyderabad. It was the first flight to land at the airport at 10.15 a.m. . All the other morning flights were delayed and started arriving around 11 a.m. “Fog is normal during winter. A lot of moisture was generated due to south easterly winds and this could have led to increased fog. The temperatures are also more or less normal,” Cyclone Warning Centre Director K. Ramachandra Rao told The Hindu . “I was coming by train this morning and I observed heavy fog at Rajahmundry and other places also. It appeared more or less similar at most places. I have also made enquiries at Anakapalle and was told that heavy smog there also,” Environmental Engineer of AP Pollution Control Board K. Ravi Kumar said. He ruled out the prospect of pollution being the cause of the fog saying there was no smell as in the past.
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