Mumbai: Mumbai began Wednesday on a cool and relatively crisp note, offering residents a brief taste of winter comfort on the final morning of 2025. Clear skies, mild winds and lower humidity provided early relief, but the pleasant conditions were short-lived. As the day progressed, a thick blanket of smog engulfed large parts of the city, reducing visibility and once again bringing Mumbai’s worsening air pollution crisis into the light.
Despite favourable weather conditions, air quality quickly emerged as the city’s biggest concern. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast a bright and comfortable day, with temperatures expected to range between 18°C and 31°C. However, office-goers, morning walkers and schoolchildren stepping out early were greeted by hazy surroundings and a sharp, acrid smell in the air, particularly in traffic-heavy and low-lying areas.
Overall AQI In Severe Category
According to data from the air quality monitoring platform AQI.in, Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 358 during the early hours, placing it firmly in the ‘severe’ category. After a brief improvement in pollution levels over the past few weeks, air quality has once again deteriorated sharply. Such conditions pose serious health risks to the general population and are especially dangerous for children, senior citizens and those suffering from respiratory or cardiac ailments.
The pollution spike, primarily due to construction dust and fine particulate matter. Ongoing large-scale infrastructure projects, including metro rail corridors, flyovers, coastal road extensions and extensive road-widening works, along with aggressive private real estate development, continue to release maximum amounts of dust into the atmosphere. Vehicular emissions during peak traffic hours have further compounded the problem.
Major Areas Report Hazardous Air Quality
Several areas emerged as severe pollution hotspots. Chembur and the Wadala Truck Terminal recorded alarmingly high AQI levels of 475 and 441 respectively, both categorised as ‘hazardous’, indicating conditions that can seriously impact even healthy individuals. Colaba followed with an AQI of 405, also in the hazardous range. Kurla recorded an AQI of 388, while Bandra registered 385, both in the severe range.
Suburban regions showed marginally better readings, though air quality remained poor overall. Kandivali East recorded an AQI of 233, while Govandi and Borivali West stood at 267 each, all falling in the ‘unhealthy’ category. Malad West (315) and Charkop (318) also slipped into the ‘severe’ bracket.
As per standard air quality classifications, AQI levels between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘moderate’, 101 to 200 ‘poor’, 201 to 300 ‘unhealthy’, and levels above 300 fall under the ‘severe’ or ‘hazardous’ category.
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