Till now, Delhi was considered to be the most affected by the problem of air pollution in the country, but now Mumbai has left it behind and given rise to a new concern. Air Quality Index (AQI) readings in many areas of Mumbai have been recorded worse than Delhi. Mumbai’s sky remained shrouded in thick smog for the third consecutive day on Wednesday as the AQI here almost touched Delhi’s level.
System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) Report
While the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) recorded Mumbai’s AQI at 306, it was 309 in Delhi. However, both of these fall in the very bad category. Mumbai has been recording very poor AQI since Monday (December 5). Experts are blaming the construction work and the current weather conditions for this.
Mumbai’s air-quality index (AQI) is now officially worse than Delhi. The reading seen in the SAFAR dashboard showed the overall AQI of Mumbai as 315. It is considered ‘very poor’; While Delhi’s AQI was 263 this morning (December 8). This also comes in very bad category.
What Scientist said about Air pollution in Mumbai?
Gufran Baig, Scientist and Program Director, SAFAR, says, “The weather in Mumbai is stable and the wind speed is slow. The construction work of Mumbai Metro and coastal road projects is believed to be behind this. Excavations and lifting works are also going on. Due to this, dust particles are emitted in the air. Due to slow wind speed, particulate matter remains in the lower atmosphere for a long time. This affects the air quality.”
The weather has been found to be bad for the second consecutive day in Mumbai and the region. The air quality in Mumbai remained in the ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ category on Tuesday morning. Mazgaon recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 349, followed by Colaba at 314 and Malad at 313. Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) recorded an AQI of 311 and Chembur recorded 321. Bhandup recorded an AQI of 256, followed by Andheri at 239 and Borivali at 201. Worli’s AQI had come down to 162. On Tuesday morning, the minimum temperature was recorded at 23.8 degrees Celsius, three notches above the average. At the same time, a significant increase in the night temperature has also been recorded on Monday. The Santacruz observatory of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded a maximum temperature of 23 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal. Mumbai has been in the grip of south-easterly winds for the past few days, which are not strong enough to remove pollutants from the air.
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