Mumbai: Smog engulfs city of dreams as AQI drops to poor, to get worse in days to come

Mumbai: A day after the forecast of mercury dip for the coming days, most parts of south Mumbai witnessed a blanket of smog in the evening hours on Sunday. Plummeting temperature and the suspended pollutants mixing with air moisture were the reasons behind the haze. Describing their experiences, locals said the city's skyline was wrapped in haze hence lowering the visibility.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the air quality of the city was in the ‘poor’ category with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 200. It's predicted to likely get even severe in the days to come due to the gradual decrease in temperature and stagnant winds.

“The smog indicates air pollution which is caused when the heavy pollutant particles in the atmosphere don't rise above. Instead, they get attached to the moisture droplets in the air. This causes a hazy look and the visibility decreases,” explained SAFAR Project Director Gufran Beig.

Mumbai is currently experiencing poor air quality, which might become even worse as winter sets in and temperatures drop even further, he added.

According to the SAFAR, Delhi continued to remain in the ‘very poor’ category after recording an AQI of 317 on Sunday. Other major cities like Pune and Ahmedabad recorded AQIs of 128 and 144, respectively.

On Sunday, Santacruz witnessed a minimum temperature of 22.5 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 33.5 degrees Celsius, with 59% relative humidity. Colaba experienced a minimum temperature of 23 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 34.5 degrees Celsius, with 72% relative humidity.