Mumbai, February 7: Mumbai on Tuesday woke to a gloomy morning and recorded the worst air quality of 2018. As per reports by System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) monitoring system, the air quality index (AQI) quality in the city rose to 271 on Tuesday. It must be noted that AQI between 200 and 300 falls under the ‘poor’ category. Mumbai has been experiencing ‘poor’ air quality since Friday when the AQI had increased to 263.  Apart from overall AQI for Mumbai, other areas too fell under ‘very poor’ category with AQI levels between 300 and 400. The AQI in the city on Tuesday was the worst since Diwali 2017, when the AQI recorded was 319.

The air quality in Mumbai's Mazagaon, Borivali, BKC, and Navi Mumbai recorded ‘very poor’ PM2.5 levels. Meanwhile, Malad, Andheri and Colaba recorded ‘poor’ levels of PM2.5. A quick glance at the AQI showed that Borivali, Bhandup, BKC, Mazagaon and Navi Mumbai recorded ‘very poor’ air quality with PM2.5 levels at 329, 317, 317, 331 and 322, respectively.

The worsening level of AQI is a major concern as poor AQI level can cause respiratory issues and various health related hazards. According to a new study by the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, air pollution caused the premature death of around 80,665 adults above 30 years of age in Delhi and Mumbai in 2015.  The number has seen a two-fold jump from 1995.

Air Quality Index in Mumbai on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 (Image: aqicn.org)

Mumbai Air Quality Index Dips To ‘Very Poor’ LevelsAs per details by SAFAR, the poor air quality can be attributed to the increased moisture levels in the city as a result of which the pollutants are trapped in the air surface for long periods. Gufran Beig, project director, SAFAR said, “For the past few days there was a western disturbance in the northern region. With its withdrawal now, the westerly winds have brought in moisture and increased humidity levels in the city. It is expected to remain like this for the next two days”.

Here's why there is a sudden increase in AQI 

  1. Due to the withdrawal of the western disturbance from northern India, moisture level in Mumbai’s air has gone up significantly.

  2. It must be noted that when humidity increases, the moisture carrying capacity in the air allows pollutants to be trapped close to the surface for a longer period.

  3. As the pollutants are trapped, the calm winds combined with it and don’t allow pollutants to disperse. This results in the deteriorated the air quality.

The ‘poor’ air quality was recorded for the fifth consecutive day today where the increased to 268 on Tuesday. Mumbai recorded an AQI of 263 (poor) on Friday and it has been continuing since then. During Christmas in 2017, the AQI in Mumbai was 258 but a day after Diwali in 2017, Mumbai’s AQI was 319 (very poor). As per reports, the maximum relative humidity level in Mumbai was recorded at 89%, 22% higher than average for the month. The maximum temperature in Mumbai was recorded at 31.6 degrees Celsius. In Delhi, people woke up to a cold morning as the mercury settled at 8.5 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season’s average. The humidity was recorded at 77 per cent, a MeT Department official said while the visibility was 1,500 meters at 5.30 am and 1,200 meters at 8.30 am.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 07, 2018 11:07 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).