Mumbai weather: AQI dips to moderate, temperature soars to 36.5 degrees Celsius

Temperatures hit 36.5 degrees Celsius, over four degrees above normal while Colaba saw a maximum of 34.5 degrees Celsius, 2.6 degrees above normal

MUMBAI: Despite Mumbai’s air quality index (AQI) dipping from good to moderate levels before the withdrawal of the monsoon, the BMC’s pollution mitigation plan will only kick in starting November. As drier weather, Diwali and colder temperatures approach, the AQI is expected to deteriorate further.

Mumbai, India - December 06, 2022: Citizens enjoy an evening with the city engulfed in smog amid hazy weather, at Marine Drive, in Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, Dec 06, 2022. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

On Monday, the overall 24-hour AQI average in the city was 116, due to three spots with very poor air quality and one with poor AQI, with a couple more in the moderate levels at 4 pm. Navy Nagar in Colaba, Siddharth Nagar in Worli and Kandivali West had the worst air quality due to high levels of ozone, which was the overall pollutant too.

“This is a bad start to the end of the monsoon in Mumbai,” said Gufran Beig, chair professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies. “Mumbai is also dark and smoggy in many places, although this is attributable to the change in weather patterns, which causes a lot of variability in temperature that traps air in pockets.”

At the IMD’s Santacruz observatory, temperatures hit 36.5 degrees Celsius, over four degrees above normal while Colaba saw a maximum of 34.5 degrees Celsius, 2.6 degrees above normal. Humidity was at 60% and 64% respectively. This increase in temperatures and the strength of the sun’s rays, was the cause of the increased ozone production, said Beig.

“October sees a change in wind patterns, and Mumbai starts receiving easterly instead of westerly winds. So this is usual,” said Sunil Kamble, head of IMD Mumbai. “The temperature will stay in the same range, although the changing wind patterns throughout the day make it fluctuate. Depending on what the dominating winds are, temperatures can differ.”

The two main action prongs of the BMC’s air pollution plan are the daily washing of 500 km of road daily and the use of mobile misting machines. “Each ward will have a road-washing machine,” said an official from the BMC’s environment department. “We will also focus on reducing air pollution at the source, mainly from construction sites. The chief engineer of the Development Plan has been asked to strictly ensure this.”

The burning of materials like wood for fuel, as well as lighting bonfires, will be strictly prohibited, especially at construction sites. All assistant commissioners and officers in the Building Construction Proposals Department have been directed to regularly monitor compliance with pollution abatement measures.

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) on Monday also issued comprehensive guidelines. “We are seeking to curb the growing levels of particulate matter, a direct result of increased construction, adverse weather conditions and emissions from vehicles and industrial sources,” said MPCB chairman Siddhesh Ramdas Kadam. MPCB also cited a recent NGO report which stated that particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations had surged dangerously, with certain areas witnessing three to four times the permissible levels.