Mumbai’s polluted air fares worse than Delhi

Mumbai: The city has been reeling under poor air quality this week and the Air Quality Index (AQI) levels further deteriorated to 275 on Wednesday, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). The city woke up to a thick layer of smog with the AQI levels making the air quality the worst so far this year. 

The pollutant levels in the city recorded were higher than Delhi, which had an AQI level of 218 on Wednesday. According to officials from the Indian Meteorological Depa-rtment (IMD), the suspension of dust particles in the air over the city its suburbs due to heavy traffic and construction work at several places was responsible for the poor air quality. As per the health advisory by SAFAR, people with heart or lung disease, older adults and children should reduce longer or heavy exertion and outdoor activity in such AQI levels.

“With the withdrawal of the Western disturbances and the moisture levels increasing in the city, the pollutants remain suspended in the air for longer period,” said Gufran Being, Project Director, SAFAR. 

While experts from IMD have maintained that the haze is a normal phenomena during winters in several parts of Maharashtra. The air quality  of Mumbai fell to ‘very poor’ with PM2.5 levels as high as 342 recorded in Mazagaon. Apart from Mazagaon, areas like Borivali, Bhandup, BKC, Colaba and Navi Mumbai also recorded ‘very poor’ air.