Hazy sky, poor air quality in Mumbai

Mumbai: The residents of Mumbai woke up to a hazy sky today and monitoring stations across the metropolis recorded poor to moderate air quality, an IMD official said. The suspension of dust particles in air over the city and suburbs, the heavy traffic on roads and construction work at several places were responsible for the poor air quality and the haze, the official said.

All the 10 monitoring stations in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai recorded poor to moderate air quality today, he said. “There is a thick sheet of clouds over Mumbai, resulting in obscure sunlight,” India Meteorological Department’s Deputy Director General (Western Region) K S Hosalikar told PTI.

He said the slow winds had caused dust particles to remain suspended for a long time over Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The combined effect of the cloud density and the dust particles was causing low visibility, he said. “A lot of vehicular movement and the ongoing infrastructure work in Mumbai are contributing to the poor air quality,” Hosalikar said.

He said the haze was a normal phenomena during January and February in several parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, but this time the slow winds and dust particles had made the condition worse.

“The cloud density is expected to get thinner and the temperature may drop by a couple of degrees from tomorrow. It may bring some relief to the people in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra,” Hosalikar said.