The air quality in Mumbai continued to remain in the ‘moderate’ category with an overall air quality index (AQI) of 168 on Thursday morning, as per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) data. However, several parts of the city reported ‘poor’ air quality.

As per the SAFAR data, the recorded AQI at Borivali stood at 159 in the ‘Moderate’ category, while Andheri reported an AQI of 95 in the ‘satisfactory’ category. Worli recorded an AQI of 109 while Bhandup reported an AQI of 100 and the AQI in Colaba and Mazagaon stood at 154 and 178, respectively.

The areas like Malad, Bandra-Kurla Complex (Kalanagar) and Navi Mumbai reported an AQI above 200 with the air quality deteriorating to the ‘poor’ category.

In the early morning, the city also experienced a thick layer of haze and reduced visibility in many parts. A visual from the Marine Drive at 8 AM showed a layer of haze due to the pollutants.

#WATCH | A layer of haze lingers in the air in Mumbai this morning.

(Visuals around Marine Drive, shot at 8 am) pic.twitter.com/NcHGoEcldg— ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2023

However, compared to Wednesday the overall air quality has improved marginally.

The Bombay High Court had ordered a restriction on the firecrackers by allowing the bursting of crackers only between 8 PM to 10 PM on Diwali. However, on Diwali day the city witnessed extensive firecracker bursting beyond the restricted hours, which deteriorated the air quality.

According to the news agency PTI, the Mumbai police filed cases against 806 individuals while registering 784 FIRs as they were found to violate the HC’s guidelines.

Meanwhile, an expert on air pollution and weather patterns, Gufran Beig said that the sea breeze helped to improve the air quality.

“Mumbai has the natural advantage of getting cleaner wind in the form of sea breeze. This active wind virtually drives away pollution in Mumbai and the same thing happened the day after Diwali. If Mumbai was not on the coast, the pollution level would have for sure touched the severe category,” Beig was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)