A thick blanket of smog continued to cover the national capital and its adjoining areas for the second day today. This led to visibility dipping to as low as 300 meters at some places, causing train delays and slowing down flight operations in Delhi. <br/><br/>Officials said, 30 trains coming to Delhi and 30 flights landing or taking off from the Delhi airport were delayed.<br/>The air quality in Delhi and adjoining Noida and Gurugram continued to be alarmingly bad today. Due to worsening air pollution, authorities closed schools in Delhi today and tomorrow. <br/>The "severe" level has prompted an advisory from the Ministry of Earth Science, cautioning against outdoor activities. <br/><br/>SAFAR-India, the ministry-run air quality and weather forecasting research centre, asked people in the region to avoid morning walk. It said, stop any activity level if you experience any unusual coughing, chest discomfort, wheezing, breathing difficulty or fatigue and consult doctor. SAFAR India said, masks known as N-95 or P-100 respirators may only help if you go out. <br/><br/>According to data from the Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority (EPCA), the air quality in Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad is just as bad as in Delhi. The situation is likely to worsen tomorrow as the weather department has predicted dense to very dense fog at many places in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh.

A choking blanket of smog again enveloped the national capital today as air quality hit the severe category in Delhi for the second consecutive day. In view of rampant air pollution, many people could be seen wearing masks in the morning.<br/>The rapid fall in air quality and visibility began Monday evening itself as moisture combined with pollutants shrouded the city in a thick cover of haze. Central Pollution Control Board's member secretary, A Sudhakar said pollution in the national capital region is likley to remain severe till tomorrow as per the forecast made available by India Meteorological Department.