RAWALPINDI: Low visibility caused by dense fog on Wednesday led to several flights being either delayed, cancelled or diverted.

The phenomenon also disrupted the train service and suspended road traffic on Motorways in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Both international and domestic flights were affected with dense fog leading to closure of motorways M-1 and M-14 at night.

There were about 20 to 25 domestic and international flights which were delayed, cancelled and diverted to Lahore from the Islamabad International Airport (IIAP) where visibility dropped at night.

A PIA spokesman said the flight PK-451 from Islamabad to Skardu, and another one PK-605 from Islamabad to Gilgit were cancelled while PK-601 from Islamabad to Gilgit was delayed.

Rail traffic also affected; people advised to complete journey on motorways during daytime

PIA flight PK-144 from Al Ain to Islamabad and PK-234 from Dubai to Islamabad were diverted to Lahore due to poor visibility at IIAP.

PIA flight PK-959 from Islamabad to Jeddah and a PIA flight from Islamabad to Abu Dhabi were both delayed.

Traffic on roads in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi moved at a snail’s pace due to heavy fog on Wednesday night. Due to intense cold waves and fog in the twin cities, traffic on roads was reduced at night. The schedule of long distance trains was delayed by four to six hours.

According to railway officials, the service was affected due to heavy fog in Punjab as trains arriving at Rawalpindi from Karachi, Lahore and Multan had been facing delays of four to six hours. However, departure of passenger trains from Rawalpindi remained normal.

A spokesman for the Motorway Police said that M1 from Peshawar to Islamabad, Swat Expressway from Colonel Sher Khan to Chakdara, and Hazara Expressway from Burhan to Jhari had been closed due to dense fog.

The purpose of closing the motorway is to prevent accidents and protect the lives and property of road users, said the spokesman.

He urged the citizens to avoid unnecessary travel during foggy hours and complete their journey in daylight and reach their destination before the onset of fog. Avoid speeding and keep proper distance from the next vehicle more than usual, said the spokesman.

Meanwhile, the Met Office said that flights, railways, highways and motorways operations may be disrupted over the next couple of days as well. Travellers were advised to remain cautious during the foggy days. A rain-bearing westerly system is likely to enter Balochistan on Thursday (today) and may affect parts of the province till Jan 5 while fog will grip various parts of the country in the coming days, the Met Office said.

Due to stable atmosphere, dense foggy conditions will continue over Punjab, Islamabad, plains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and upper Sindh.

Under the influence of this weather system, light-to-moderate rain and a wind/thunderstorm with snowfall over hills is expected in Quetta and other areas of Balochistan on Jan 4 and 5.

Mohammad Asghar and Aamir Yasin contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2024