Mumbai: Mumbai witnessed a cool start to Saturday, with clear skies, mild winter winds and relatively low humidity offering residents a welcome break from the city’s usual heat. However, the relief was short-lived as a noticeable blanket of smog gradually spread across the skyline, reducing visibility and once again drawing attention to Mumbai’s worsening air pollution problem.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast a largely comfortable day for the financial capital, predicting bright weather conditions with temperatures expected to range between 18°C and 33°C. While the weather remained favourable, deteriorating air quality quickly emerged as the city’s main concern, overshadowing the pleasant morning.
According to data from air quality monitoring platform AQI.in, Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 128 in the early hours, placing it in the ‘poor’ category. Though this reflected a marginal improvement compared to the hazardous levels recorded in late November and early December, the air continued to pose health risks.
Multiple factors are contributing to Mumbai’s declining air quality. Large-scale infrastructure projects, including metro rail corridors, flyover construction, coastal road extensions and extensive road-widening work, are ongoing across the city. These activities have significantly increased dust emissions. Additionally, aggressive private real estate development and rising vehicular pollution during peak traffic hours have further worsened air conditions, especially along major arterial roads and busy junctions.
Several parts of the city emerged as pollution hotspots on Saturday. The Wadala Truck Terminal recorded an alarming AQI of 293, while Chembur reported an AQI of 230, both categorised as ‘unhealthy’ and capable of affecting even healthy individuals. Colaba registered an AQI of 190, placing it in the ‘poor’ category. Malad and Deonar followed closely, recording AQI levels of 187 and 180 respectively.
Suburban areas showed relatively better air quality but remained far from safe. Govandi recorded an AQI of 68, while Andheri West and Jogeshwari reported readings of 72 and 73, all falling under the ‘moderate’ category. However, other western suburbs such as Kandivali East and Goregaon slipped back into the ‘moderate’ zone, with AQI levels of 75 and 78.
For reference, AQI values between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51–100 ‘moderate’, 101–150 ‘poor’, 151–200 ‘unhealthy’, and readings above 200 are deemed ‘hazardous’. With pollution levels fluctuating despite favourable weather, experts stress the need for stricter dust control measures and sustainable traffic management to prevent further deterioration of Mumbai’s air quality.
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