Mumbai’s air quality worse than Delhi as AQI drops to 'very poor' amid dipping temp

Amid the dipping temperature of the city, the air quality of Mumbai also dropped to the “very poor” quality surpassing the air quality index (AQI) of Delhi on Monday. Apart from this, the smog in the city has also affected visibility making it difficult for the commuters to travel. 

The AQI of Mumbai on Tuesday stood at 'very poor' at 306. Meanwhile, the pollutant PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentrations were at 128 and 176 respectively. 

Meanwhile, it is important to note that the air quality in the national capital is witnessing a marginal improvement in recent times, after the Delhi government took several steps to reduce the pollution levels in the city. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi improved from the level of 353 (very poor) on Sunday, January 14, to 213 (poor) on Monday, January 1.

Following the improvement in Delhi’s air quality, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on January 15 withdrew the restrictions imposed under Graded Response Action Plan's (GRAP) Stage III from Delhi-NCR. 

AQI of different areas in Mumbai

Colaba: 276 AQI Poor

Mazgaon: 341 AQI Very Poor

Worli: 166 AQI Moderate

Sion: 259 AQI Poor

Thane: 189 AQI Moderate

Navi Mumbai: 352 AQI Very Poor

Notably, air pollution is measured in terms of particulate matter (PM) – fine particles in the air. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51-100 is “satisfactory”, 200-300 is “poor”, 300-400 is “very poor”, and 400-500 is “severe”. 

Temperature drops in Mumbai 

While Mumbai experienced its coldest day of the season on Sunday, with the temperature dipping to 13.8 degree Celsius, it is being predicted that the mercury is likely to drop further in the financial capital of the country. However, the temperature of the city on Tuesday stood at 15.71 degree Celsius, while the humidity percentage was recorded at 98 per cent. 

With the dropping temperature in Mumbai, it has been noted that the AQI of the city was even worse than that of Delhi’s for a week in mid-December. Notably, the degrading air quality in Mumbai has also started affecting the health of the people in the city.