Mumbai woke up to what appeared to be an ideal winter morning on Monday, as clear skies, pleasant temperatures and light winds offered a welcome pause from the city’s usual humidity. The relief, however,
was short-lived. As the day progressed, a dense layer of smog settled over several parts of the city, lowering visibility and reigniting concerns about Mumbai’s worsening air quality.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast comfortable conditions, with minimum temperatures hovering around 17°C and maximums touching 30°C. While temperatures remained agreeable through the day, the brief spell of winter-like weather was dampened by rising pollution levels.
Overall AQI Remains Poor
According to air quality monitoring platform AQI.in, Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 156 in the early morning hours, placing it in the ‘poor’ category. This marked only a slight improvement after weeks of unhealthy air conditions.
The decline in air quality has largely been attributed to dust and fine particulate matter, with ongoing construction activity across the city emerging as a major contributor. Large-scale infrastructure projects, including multiple metro corridors, flyovers, the coastal road, road widening initiatives and numerous private real estate developments, have increased dust emissions, adding to Mumbai’s pollution load.
Chembur, Santacruz Worst Hit
Several areas emerged as pollution hotspots. Chembur recorded a severe AQI of 311, posing serious health risks even for healthy individuals. Santacruz East and Powai followed closely with AQI readings of 305 and 303, respectively. Bandra and Sion also reported unhealthy air, with AQI levels of 300 and 250.
In contrast, air quality remained majorly better in parts of the suburbs. Juhu Tara recorded a ‘good’ AQI of 40, while Andheri West and Kandivali East posted readings of 42 and 45. Charkop and Goregaon East also remained in the ‘good’ category, with AQI levels around 50.
As per standard classifications, AQI values between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘moderate’, 101 to 200 ‘poor’, 201 to 300 ‘unhealthy’, and levels above 300 are classified as ‘severe’ or ‘hazardous’.
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