Mumbai weather: City witnesses cloudy skies, AQI improves to moderate but relief to be short-lived

The air quality of Mumbai witnessed a slight improvement from 'poor' to 'moderate' due to the recent unseasonal rain which helped in settling down the pollutants. However, according to experts, this improvement is short-lived as the pollutants will spring back once the cloudy skies clear out. The main reason for the deteriorating air quality of the city remains construction work and vehicular pollution.

Mumbai recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 166 (moderate) on Sunday which was lower than most days since past four months.

The recent rainfall activity helped in clearing the air by washing away most of the common air pollutants through a process called wet deposition.

For context, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 is ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 is ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.

Mumbai air quality worse than Delhi

Mumbai has been recording ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ air quality, with some days even worse than Delhi and other major cities.

Experts blame vehicular pollution and construction work as the main sources of the deteriorated air quality. Delhi’s air quality is considered the worst in the country but at present, Mumbai's air quality is even worse as the city has recorded several worst air days since December.

In relation to this, Shiv Sena leader and MLA Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday wrote a letter to Union Minister Bhupinder Yadav over the issue of poor quality of air in Mumbai and increasing air pollution across Maharashtra.

Aditya Thackeray writes to Bhupinder Yadav

“I’ve written to Union Minister Bhupinder Yadav ji about Maharashtra’s worsening air pollution crisis, also focusing on Mumbai’s AQI. The absence of a full time environment minister and lack of sensitivity towards public issues in the state’s illegal Govt has worsened this crisis, as there is no action on ground,” he wrote in a tweet.

“Climate change has had a serious impact on the city’s weather patterns, changing the speed and direction of winds, and causing polluted air to remain within the city instead of flowing towards the coast. I request you direct the relevant authorities to install mobile sensors across the city, as the existing sensors do not cover the entire city. This would provide more insights for addressing the air quality problem and help reconcile data authenticity of AQI currently measured,” the letter said.

AQI of different areas in Mumbai

Colaba: 211 AQI Poor

Mazgaon: 186 AQI Moderate

Worli: 121 AQI Moderate

Sion: 119 AQI Moderate

Malad: 169 AQI Moderate

Mulund: 200 AQI Moderate

Navi Mumbai: 218 AQI Poor

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