Shocking! Mumbai Air Is Even More Toxic Than Delhi

Pollution levels in Mumbai fell on Monday but the city's Air Quality Index (AQI) was still in the 'very poor' category and, worse than that of Delhi.

The AQI for Mumbai in the morning was 308; it reduced only marginally by evening, to 304, according to the System for Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

The AQI for Delhi, on the other hand, was pegged at 208 in the morning, and it improved to 169 in the evening. Experts at SAFAR said the national capital's improved air quality could be temporary due to a change in wind patterns.

Most suburbs continued to record 'very poor' AQI. Among the most polluted were Chembur (363), which is close to Deonar, Andheri (355).

Weathermen said it would be another two or three days before normal conditions were restored. If Mumbai had any sense of relief, it was because the AQI was better compared to Sunday's 333, Saturday's 318 and Friday's 341-the day it had matched pollution levels in Delhi.

"Conditions seem to be improving as the fire has been controlled, but weather conditions like winter temperatures and high moisture levels have still kept the pollution in the very poor category. The winds are now picking speed, which will help reduce pollution levels in the coming days," said Gufran Beig, project director, SAFAR.

"The winds are not very calm now, but the humidity levels are very high. Due to this, the pollutant particles are still in the air and the particulate matter concentration in areas like Chembur, Mazgaon and BKC is still very high. The sea breeze helps the city to clean up naturally, but it will take a couple of days before things are back to normal," said K S Hosalikar, deputy director general of the Regional Meteorological Center in Mumbai. SAFAR has forecast an AQI of 295 for Tuesday.

AFP

According to the 24-hour average of the pollutant levels recorded by SAFAR, the concentration of PM10 (particulate matter with a diameter of less than 10 microns) was much higher than PM2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns) on Monday. Mumbai's AQI for PM10 (with a concentration of 181.18 microgrammes per cubic metre) was 307. The concentration of pollutant PM has seen a sharp rise in the areas around the Deonar dumping ground over the past five days.

Residents in the vicinity of the dumping ground said Monday felt comparatively better, but the situation was still worrying.

"When I went out early in the morning, the situation was much better as compared to the past few days but between 7.30 am and 9 am, a blanket of smoke covered the area once again," said R Badrinathan, a Chembur resident.

Some continued to complain about health troubles. "I have been coughing for the past four days. My mom's eyes have irritation. There is smoke everywhere. I decided to go for a run but I couldn't run for more than 10 minutes. There is smoke on our clothes, blankets and almost everywhere," said Jhanvi Kulkarni, a Chembur resident.