Mumbai air quality deteriorates, AQI worse than Delhi

Even if you are enjoying the ‘oh-so-slight’ nip in the Mumbai air, the deteriorating air quality and the pall of haze are real worries. For the second day in a row, Mumbai’s air quality is worse than New Delhi.

According to the Air Quality Index website, in select locales across Mumbai like Worli and the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, the air quality reading is north of the hazardous 800 mark. In comparison the maximum reading in Delhi today is around 350 on the Air Quality Index. A reading above 300 is considered very dangerous and triggers health concerns across age groups.

This poor air quality in Mumbai became prominent in 2020 around December 29, 30 and is expected to stay this way for at least a few more days. On January 1, 2021, the air quality dropped to 4-year lows. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, PM2.5 is one of the key pollutants. The relatively lower temperature and the wind blowing from the polluted areas towards the sea are considered to be the main triggers for this haze.

According to the government initiative, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) forecast due to the low wind speed, pollutants are not getting dispersed. AQI is predicted to remain in very poor range for Mumbai for the next 2 days. The overall Delhi air quality is also in the lower end of the ‘Poor’ category.