Mumbai’s overall air quality deteriorated for the second day in a row on Wednesday with the city experiencing thick smog and reduced visibility. The overall air quality was even worse than that of Delhi. As per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) data, Mumbai's overall air quality index (AQI) remained ‘moderate’ at 119, reported India Today.

The overall air quality in Mumbai deteriorated for the first time in the post-monsoon season compared to Delhi on Tuesday. The AQI of Mumbai stood at 113 on Tuesday. Although it remained in the ‘Moderate’ category, it was worse than Delhi’s AQI which lay in the ‘Satisfactory’ category with 83, according to the SAFAR data, reported Times of India.

Delhi is considered one of the cities in the world facing the worst air pollution. The Air Quality Index is the counting of the concentration of carcinogenic particulate matter in the air and it helps in calculating the condition of the atmosphere.

Meanwhile, in Mumbai, the overall air quality depleted and caused a hazy cityscape, because of the emissions from vehicles, as well as smoke and dust from industrial areas. Despite the haziness in the atmosphere, the AQI remained at moderate 113. While on Monday the AQI in Mumbai reached 115, however, it was lower than the AQI in Delhi, which stood at 165.

According to a Times of India report, the suburbs like Andheri with 346, Mazgaon with 317 and Navi Mumbai with 317 have experienced the worst quality registering at a ‘Very Poor’ air quality index on Tuesday. On the other hand, areas like Chembur and Malad reported the ‘Poor’ Air Quality Index along with BKC, Borivali, Worli, Bhandup, and Colaba as in the ‘Moderate’ category.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s current Air Quality Index on Wednesday morning has been recorded as ‘Moderate’ category with 130. However, the Air Quality Warning System for Delhi has mentioned that the AQI will decline to the ‘Poor’ category by Thursday, reported Hindustan Times.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classifies an Air Quality Index between 0-50 as good, between 51 and 100 as satisfactory, between 101 and 200 as moderate, between 201 and 300 as poor, between 301 and 400 as very poor; and over 400 as severe. Apart from that, an AQI above 500 falls in the severe plus category.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)

First Published:Oct 18, 2023 11:24 AM IST