Mumbai: Mumbai witnessed a blanket of smog for yet another weekend with a hazy skyline on Sunday, especially near the shores, that lowered visibility. The air quality of the city was in the ‘poor’ category.
Stagnant winds, the drop in temperature and suspended pollutants mixing with moisture in the atmosphere continued to be cited as the reasons for the haze.
According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) dipped to 293, just six units away from getting into the ‘very poor’ category. Last Sunday, the AQI was 200. The air quality is predicted to get worse in the days to come owing to the gradual decrease in temperature.
According to Gufran Beig, SAFAR Project Director, the smog is likely to be seen more frequently in the coming days as the winter sets in. When the air temperature is low and winds are not at a high speed, particulate matter tends to get attached to the moisture droplets in the atmosphere and stay there instead of rising above or moving away.
“As Mumbai is a humid city, this phenomenon is more likely. The smog causes a hazy look and visibility decreases,” explained Mr Beig.
According to SAFAR, Delhi continued to remain in the ‘very poor’ category after recording an AQI of 312 on Sunday. Other major cities like Pune and Ahmedabad remained in the ‘moderate’ category with an AQI of 143 and 144, respectively.
On Sunday, Santa Cruz witnessed a minimum temperature of 22° Celsius and a maximum of 33.6°C, with 65% relative humidity. Colaba experienced a minimum temperature of 23.2°C and a maximum of 34.5°C, with 72% relative humidity.
