Mumbai : Thane recorded the worst air of the season with Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded 241 on Thursday as per the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board(MPCB). The recorded AQI comes under ‘poor category’. The air quality of Thane recorded at MPCB’s Dombivali air monitoring station remained in moderate to poor category since November 2017. The highest AQI recorded before Thursday was 205 on December 29 last year. An AQI level of 100 is considered to be ‘satisfactory’. Even Mumbai’s air remained poor, as the AQI was recorded 209 at Bandra Station of the MPCB at 8 pm.
According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research, four air-monitoring stations of the city recorded ‘very poor’ air, followed by ‘poor’ air at two stations. Air in the Bandra Kurla Complex was poorest with PM2.5 levels recorded 324, followed by Colaba, Mazagaon and Borivali with PM2.5 levels as 319, 311 and 301 respectively. Andheri and Malad recorded ‘poor levels’ of AQI. Chembur was the least polluted among other areas.
Navi Mumbai’s air quality was also recorded ‘very poor’ as per SAFAR data with PM2.5 levels at 302. An AQI level till 100 is considered to be ‘satisfactory’ and between 101 to 200 is considered moderate. PM2.5 refers to atmospheric particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, which tends to stay longer in the air than heavier particles, increasing the chances of human beings and animals inhaling it into their bodies. Their elevated levels could lead to poor visibility and health concerns in the affected areas.
“The dip in temperature could be one of the reason due to which the AQI levels in the areas have increased. This leads to trapping of air pollutants on the surface. Other than that, Navi Mumbai has a lot of traffic with people travelling to and fro Pune,” said Gufran Beig, Project Director, SAFAR.
