Mumbai records AQI 271; air quality severe in parts of city

Mumbai: Mumbai’s air quality index (AQI) was at 271 on Tuesday, which was worse than Delhi, with some areas of the city recording air quality under ”severe” category, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said.

According to the SAMEER, the CPCB’s air quality monitoring application, Mumbai’s AQI was 271 in the afternoon, while Delhi recorded AQI 235. The Mazagaon air monitoring station recorded AQI 454, which comes under the “severe” category, while Deonar and Navy Nagar-Colaba stations recorded AQI 324, which is categorised as “very poor”, an official said. Navi Mumbai and Kalyan, the satellite cities of Mumbai, have recorded AQI 262 and 239 respectively, falling under “poor” category, while the Thane region was moderately polluted with AQI 153, he said.

Air Quality Index is a yardstick used to measure the quality of air in a particular area. It is measured from 0 to 500. A higher AQI indicates greater level of pollutants in the air.

According to the India Meteorological Department, dust has worsened the city’s air quality.

The dust from the Middle East has caused the deterioration of air quality in Mumbai and neighbouring areas, said Jayanta Sarkar, head of the IMD’s Regional Meteorological Centre in Mumbai.

“However, the AQI is improving. In some places, the AQI could be higher due to local factors,” Sarkar said.

The Colaba weather station had reported 15.2 degrees Celsius on Monday, one degree less than the day before, he added.