According to the System of Air Quality Forecast and Research (SAFAR), overall AQI in Mumbai is in the ‘moderate’ category at 168, as on November 29, and certain pockets in the city have AQI oscillating between ‘poor’ and ‘moderate‘.
With the advent of winters in India, a fall in temperature and decline in Air Quality Index (AQI) has been observed in major metropolitan cities. As the temperature is gets cooler, there is a stagnant condition due to which wind speed is low. Therefore, particulate matters remain suspended in the atmosphere forming mist and haze for longer periods, stated experts.
Various locations in Mumbai and their AQI
AQI, a yardstick used to measure the quality of air in a given area, is measured between 0-500. A higher value of AQI denotes a greater level of pollutants in the air and hence a more severe impact on health. As per SAFAR’s AQI monitoring chart, AQI of 0-50 is ‘good’, while it is ‘satisfactory’ at 51-100, ‘moderate’ at 101-200, ‘poor’ at 201-300 . The ‘very poor’ category denotes AQI of 301-400 and beyond 400, it is labelled ‘severe’.
While the overall AQI reading in Mumbai on November 29 stood at 168 (moderate), several pockets in city continued to record worse AQI. In Bandra Kurla Complex, it is highest at 263, while lowest in Khindipada Bhandup West at 117. Other corners like Nerul at 211, Colaba at 119, Bandra East at 137 and Vile Parle West at 170 recorded rise in AQI on 29th morning, respectively.
Prolonged exposure to poor AQI air may cause breathing trouble, becoming worse in people with existing heart diseases, as seen in Delhi from time to time.
PM2.5 concentration in Mumbai
The current concentration of PM2.5 in Mumbai is 82 (µg/m³). The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends 15 µg/m³ as the threshold concentration of PM2.5 for 24 hrs. Currently, the concentration is 3.28 times the recommended limit.
