CHENGALPATTU: Chengalpattu experienced the full brunt of the winter chill and dense fog on Wednesday, which blinded motorists and disrupted regional travel. Motorists were forced to drive slowly with their headlights on.
In several areas, drivers faced considerable difficulty, with the impact being more severe on major roads such as the Chengalpattu National Highway and the GST Road.
Commuters in Chengalpattu faced challenging morning routes on Wednesday as a thick layer of fog engulfed the district, turning major highways into slow-moving queues of headlights.
Meanwhile, the atmospheric haze that followed a day of rainfall reduced visibility on the road and led to the cancellation of 11 flights at Chennai Airport as northern weather patterns were reflected in the south.
According to an official statement, four departing flights and seven arriving flights were cancelled during the day. The cancellations were attributed to persistent dense fog, adverse weather, and air pollution, which have affected flight operations across Delhi and several northern regions over the past few days.
Flight services between Chennai and northern cities have remained disrupted. On Wednesday, four outbound flights from Chennai to Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata, and Ghaziabad were cancelled.
Similarly, seven flights scheduled to arrive in Chennai from Delhi, Jaipur, Patna, Pune, Kolkata, Indore, and other cities have also been announced as cancelled.
The cancellation of 11 flights in a single day caused significant inconvenience to passengers.
In Chennai, the AQI recorded was 95 as of 9 am, according to official data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
According to CPCB categorisation, 0-50 is 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.