With the fall in humidity and calmer winds, Mumbai has been grappling with a worsening Air Quality Index (AQI) since last week.
On Sunday, the city woke up to smoggy skies and poor visibility as the AQI dropped to ‘Unhealthy and Poor’ category. The AQI ranged between 120 and 258. Some of the locations with the poorest AQIs were: Colaba (285), Mazgaon (276) and BKC (212).
“Air pollutants / dust particles do not settle as the winds get calmer. This decreases the air quality as well as visibility. This is seasonal and the air quality will get better as the winds get stronger,” Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) Mumbai Director Sunil Kamble said.
Kamble added that the post-monsoon construction works in the city add to the dust accumulation, further worsening the air quality. The city will continue to witness hazy sky, with a slight rise in temperatures this week.
On Sunday, Mumbai’s observatories – Colaba and Santacruz – both recorded minimum and maximum temperatures of 22° Celsius and 29°C, respectively. As per the IMD’s weekly forecast, the minimum and maximum temperatures in Mumbai will range between 20°C and 29°C. The sky will remain hazy and partly cloudy.
Experts advise that as the city grapples with poor air quality index, citizens with breathing issues should avoid stepping out in the morning.
“Until the dust particles settle down, patients with breathing issues, especially asthma, elderly people and children should avoid stepping out and take better care of their health,” Kamble said.
