Mumbai: Mumbai saw the worst air quality of 2018, wherein the Air Quality Index (AQI) rose to 271 on Tuesday, as per System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) monitoring system. The AQI between 200 and 300 falls under the ‘poor’ category. This was the worst air quality that the city witnessed since Diwali 2017, when the AQI recorded was 319. Poor AQI level can cause respiratory related problems.
Apart from overall AQI for the city, most of the areas fell under ‘very poor’ category with AQI levels between 300 and 400. According to SAFAR, the poor air quality can be attributed to the increasing moisture levels in the city as a result of which the pollutants are trapped in the air surface for long periods. “For the past few days there was western disturbance in the northern region. With its withdrawal now, the westerly winds have brought in moisture and increased humidity levels in the city. As a result of this, the pollutants remain trapped in the air for longer period. It is expected to remain like this for the next two days,” said Gufran Beig, Project Director, SAFAR. The maximum relative humidity level was recorded at 89 per cent for the city, 22 per cent higher than average for the month. The city’s maximum temperature was recorded at 31.6 degrees Celsius.
The air quality in Borivali, BKC, Mazagaon, Mazagaon and Navi Mumbai recorded ‘very poor’ PM2.5 levels, which arises from vehicular emissions mostly, at 331. Meanwhile Malad, Andheri and Colaba recorded ‘poor’ levels of PM2.5. According to experts at Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the pollution levels are going to decline from Friday.
