Cyclone Maha effect: City, MMR record cleaner air

Parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) enjoyed good air quality on Thursday on account of fast-moving winds under the influence of tropical cyclone Maha weakening

Parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) enjoyed good air quality on Thursday on account of fast-moving winds under the influence of tropical cyclone Maha weakening into a deep depression near the Gujarat coast.

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Light showers were recorded on Thursday evening in the northern parts of the suburbs, including Thane, Palghar and further north towards Dahanu. South Mumbai recorded drizzles. In Thane and Mumbai, the pollutant-measuring indicator – air quality index (AQI) was 47 (good) and 71 (satisfactory), according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s AQI bulletin. AQI at MMR was among the best, while Eloor in Kochi, Kerala, had the cleanest air in India with an AQI of 40. Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh was the most polluted location with an AQI in ‘severe’ category.

According to the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the AQI in Mumbai was 76 (satisfactory) on Thursday, and 68 (satisfactory) has been predicted for Friday. The concentration of PM2.5 – particulate matter that can easily enter the lungs and cause ailments – was well within the safe limit of 60 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m3) – at 38 µg/m3 for Mumbai on Thursday.

“High-speed winds under the influence of cyclone Maha, which weakened on Thursday, helped disperse pollutants for Konkan coast,” said Gufran Beig, project director, SAFAR. “Air quality is likely to remain in satisfactory category till the weekend.”