No let-up in air quality, Mazgaon worse

Mumbai's AQI is moderate at 172, with Mazgaon at 304 (very poor). Officials plan to enforce air quality sensors at construction sites to improve conditions.

MUMBAI: Mumbai’s Air Quality Index (AQI) continued to remain in the moderate category, with a reading of 172 on Monday. Mazgaon recorded the worst AQI of 304 (very poor), switching from “poor’ – 280 on Sunday and 206 on November 17. Other sites with high AQI were Navy Nagar at 269, Deonar at 266, Chakala in Andheri east at 258, Malad west at 224, and Powai at 207.

No let-up in air quality, Mazgaon worse

Meanwhile, the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) dashboard showed that six of the 21 AQI monitoring stations in Mumbai showed “poor” AQI, while 14 stations recorded “moderate” air, while one station recorded “satisfactory” AQI.

This week, officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) will hold a joint meeting to chalk out mitigation measures to counter worsening air quality, as AQI rose from 150 across last week to more than 170 this week.

Earlier in June, the authorities had mandated that private builders install sensors that would give real-time data on the air quality at their work sites. In its Mumbai Air Pollution Mitigation Plan (MAPMP), the BMC had identified construction dust to be one of the biggest contributors to Mumbai’s deteriorating AQI.

“More than 60% of construction sites in Mumbai don’t have AQI sensors installed within their premises. Construction dust contributes most in determining the overall AQI of Mumbai and it is important that every contractor install these devices within their premises to improve our hyperlocal monitoring at the ground level,” the civic official said.

The 30-day ultimatum ends by the end of November and the authorities maintain that builders and contractors who fail to install monitoring sensors during this period will be penalised. Civic officials also stated that along with the MPCB, an on-ground team will be deployed in each of the 24 municipal wards to track violations.

“We are monitoring the situation in Mazgaon closely. To suppress dust displacement, we are sprinkling water on the streets,” the official said.

After the withdrawal of the monsoon in Mumbai, the city’s overall AQI plummeted into the moderate category. A day after Diwali, Mumbai’s overall AQI was “poor”, while several other locations recorded “very poor” air as well.

Scientists say one of the reasons for Mumbai’s poor air quality is the early onset of La-Niña conditions. For a coastal city like Mumbai, La-Niña usually slows overall wind speed, which causes particulate matter to remain suspended in the air. This phenomenon was earlier witnessed in 2021-2022, which caused a serious dip in Mumbai’s air quality.