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Air quality worsens in Mumbai; BKC, Malad record ‘very poor’ AQI
The city recorded a spike in air pollution on Sunday, with two locations recording ‘very poor’ air quality.
The city recorded a spike in air pollution on Sunday, with two locations recording ‘very poor’ air quality.
The pollutant-measuring indicator – air quality index (AQI) – shot up to 156 (moderate) for PM2.5 pollutant (particulate matter that can enter the lungs and cause ailments), according to the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR). This is the worst AQI since before the Covid-19 lockdown in March. On Saturday, the AQI was 111 (moderate), and on March 19, it was 130 (moderate). On March 17, the AQI was 272 (poor), and on March 18 it was 172 (moderate).
On Sunday, of the 10 locations where AQI is monitored and predicted, Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Malad recorded ‘very poor’ AQI at 325 and 301, respectively. Mazgaon (156), Chembur (139), and Navi Mumbai (121), all recorded ‘moderate’ AQI, while the remaining areas recorded ‘satisfactory’ levels.
SAFAR categorises AQI levels for PM2.5 in the 0-50 range as good; 51-100 as satisfactory; 101-200 as moderate; 201-300 as poor; 301-400 as very poor and above 400 as severe. An AQI of 97 (satisfactory) has been predicted for Monday.
Researchers said air quality worsened due to falling temperatures. “The increase in air pollution can be attributed to the change in meteorological conditions, with the minimum temperature dropping below the normal mark in Mumbai during early hours of the day. This is allowing pollutants to be suspended close to the surface. However, human-induced factors such as vehicular pollution are aggravating levels in areas like BKC and Malad,” said Gufran Beig, project director, SAFAR. He added that levels are expected to remain in the ‘moderate’ category for the next week and may further deteriorate if temperatures continue to drop.
On Sunday, the concentration for PM10 (larger coarser particles) was 122 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m³), against the safe limit of 100μg/m³ for 24 hours. PM2.5 levels were 68μg/m³ against the safe limit of 60μg/m³ for the 24-hour mark.
An AQI of 149 (moderate) has been predicted for Monday.
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