Mumbai breathed easier this Diwali

Mumbai: Mumbai’s air quality during Diwali this year fared better than what it was in the last two years. This year, the Air Quality Index (AQI) on November 8, the day after Diwali, was recorded at 305, which comes under the ‘very poor’ category, but air quality experts stated that good implementation of the Supreme Court order and awareness among citizens, went a long way in ensuring that the city’s air quality did not further deteriorate.

According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the Air Quality Index of 305 recorded the day after Diwali, was lower than the last two years, indicating that the emission was less due to fire crackers this year. “Though the air quality became very poor on the day after Diwali. But it was not entirely due to firecrackers, but also because of the existing pollutants in the city. This year, the management of bursting fire-crackers was better,” said Dr. Gufran Beig, Project Director, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research.

The readings by System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research shows that the ‘very poor’ Air Quality Index improved on November 9, when it came down to ‘poor’ category. The highest levels of PM2.5 were observed between 10 pm on the night of November 7 to 4 am on the following day.

“In 2016 also, Diwali fell on the first week of November, which is usually the time when Mumbai starts getting cooler. During Diwali in winters, a spike of Air Quality Index is usually witnessed due to cooling atmosphere. However, this year, the Air Quality Index was lower than 2016, which shows control in firecracker emissions,” he added.

The PM2.5 levels, which usually arise from emissions ranging between 91 micro cubic grams to 126, were the highest on November 8. The most polluted locations among all System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research stations during the day after Diwali, were Andheri and Mazgaon, while the least polluted were Bhandup and Chembur.