Five air quality monitoring stations starts functioning

With their addition, Mumbaikars will have a total of 25 air quality measuring stations in the city they can refer to while planning their day. Eleven of these are managed by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), nine by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), and the remaining by the BMC

Mumbai: Five more Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) stations, set up and established by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), are now functional in the city. These started functioning on September 1 and took a month of fine-tuning, and have been giving correct readings since the beginning of October.

Mumbai, India – Oct 21, 2023: Ambient Air Quality Data monitor has been installed near the penguin hall, Byculla, in Mumbai, India, on Saturday, Oct 21, 2023. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

With their addition, Mumbaikars will have a total of 25 air quality measuring stations in the city they can refer to while planning their day. Eleven of these are managed by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), nine by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), and the remaining by the BMC.

The new stations are at Govandi Hindi Municipal School Complex, Highway Suvidha Kendra on the Eastern Express Highway in Ghatkopar, near the penguin hall in Byculla Zoo, Sewri Municipal School Complex and BMC maternity home in Charkop, Kandivali.

“Currently, the displays are working on a trial basis. But in the next ten days, they should be working properly and the data will also be available on the BMC’s website,” an official said.

The readings will also eventually be added to the CPBC’s dashboard, but that will take another four months, as it will require a trial of three months.

Temperatures rage while AQI calms down

Mumbai reached the hottest ever temperature in October this year on Saturday, touching 37.4 degrees Celsius in Santacruz, three degrees above normal, and 35 degrees Celsius in Colaba. The forecast promises maximum temperatures between 34 and 35 degrees Celsius for the next few days, accompanied by fog.

“The temperatures reached a high because the easterly winds are dominating. They will continue to dominate for the next three days,” said Sunil Kamble, head of IMD Mumbai.

Amidst concern about Mumbai’s air quality and efforts to control it, the island city’s air quality on Saturday was once again at moderate levels at 132, according to SAFAR, and 155 according to the CPCB.