On Wednesday, Mumbai woke up to find itself under a thick blanket of smog as the city’s overall air quality index deteriorated to 199 in the afternoon – almost breaching the ‘poor category’. At least two stations in the city recorded ‘very poor’ air quality as the AQI crossed the 300-mark while seven stations recorded ‘poor’ AQI above 200.
While the city has been breathing ‘moderate’ air for the past few weeks, the air quality in the metropolis has deteriorated significantly as the AQI reached 199 on Wednesday, which is very close to the ‘poor’ category.
For the record, an AQI reading between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is considered satisfactory, 101-200 is considered moderate, 201-300 is considered poor, 301-400 is considered very poor and above 400 is considered poor. Considered serious.
Data presented by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that out of 23 stations, at least nine stations crossed the AQI 200-mark and recorded ‘poor’ air quality, of which two crossed the ‘very bad’ category.
With an AQI of over 300, the data showed that the worst air quality was registered in Colaba (323) and Worli (310). These were followed by Chembur where an AQI of 292 was registered, followed by Ghatkopar (287), Bandra East (283).
According to records, O3 was among the major pollutants in the city.
Bhagwan Keshabhat, an environmentalist and founder of NGO – Environment, says that the recent decline in Mumbai’s AQI is a combination of natural and man-made factors.
“At present, the primary sources of air pollutants such as carbon and nitrogen dioxide are causing a reaction that leads to the formation of secondary particles of PM 2.5 and PM 10 components. Now that the temperature in cities is decreasing, these particles are trapped in the lower atmosphere, where they remain for a long time. This phenomenon is affecting the overall air in Mumbai, leading to poor AQI in many pockets,” Kesbhat told The Indian Express.
“External factors like industrial emissions are also contributing factors in this situation. Unfiltered industrial emissions from the satellite districts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) are trapped in the atmosphere from the satellite regions, then they are pushed downwind towards Mumbai where they are trapped in the lower atmosphere. Long time,” he said.
Dr. Tuhin Banerjee – scientist and member of the Bombay Environment Action Group (BEAG) said that Mumbai’s worsening AQI is a result of global climate change.
“At present, there is no regular wind reversal in Mumbai, mainly due to global meteorological factors. As a result, there is an absence of high-speed winds that blow particulate matter towards the sea. Mumbai is experiencing a lot of construction activities along with vehicular emissions. Now, due to the lack of wind reversal, particles Suspended in the air,” Dr. Banerjee told The Indian Express.
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