E-Paper
Oct air quality better than 2018: SAFAR
Mumbai:
Mumbai:
The city’s air quality during the first two weeks of October 2019 has been much better than last year, revealed data published by the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), primarily owing to intermittent rain that continued this month.
According to the data on SAFAR’s website on Sunday, the concentration of PM2.5 (small pollutant particles, up to 2.5 microns in size, that easily enter the lungs,causing ailments) particles in the city air was almost twice as high during the first two weeks of October in 2018, than 2019. While PM2.5 levels were above the safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) throughout the first 17 days of October 2018, the concentration rose above 100 µg/m3 from October 12 to 15, with the highest level on October 13 at 118µg/m3.
This year, however, PM2.5 levels have not crossed 60µg/m3 so far, and remained within the good or satisfactory categories. “As compared to other cities where SAFAR monitors air quality [Delhi, Pune and Ahmedabad], Mumbai’s performance during the first two weeks of October has been good owing to intermittent showers during the first 10 days and lesser impact of external emissions [such as firecrackers during Navratri],” said Gufran Beig, project director, SAFAR.
SAFAR will be publishing air quality assessment of PM2.5 concentration daily till the run up to Diwali (October 28) to identify and understand sources of the harmful pollutant in the air.
On Monday, SAFAR recorded air quality index (AQI) of 91 in the city, falling under the satisfactory category, but much higher than the first 13 days of October, when AQI remained between 40 and 60 (between good and satisfactory). Locations such as Borivli, Malad, Andheri, BKC and Chembur recorded ‘moderate’ AQI for PM2.5 pollutant. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), AQI was much higher at 116 (moderate) on Monday, with prominent pollutants in the air being carbon monoxide, ozone, and particulate matter (PM10).
As the south-west monsoon withdraws from Mumbai, pollution levels have witnessed a marginal spike from Sunday. A satisfactory AQI of 86 has been predicted for Tuesday.
