With the rise in temperature, the city witnessed high level of air pollution on Friday. Also, an unusual fog had enveloped parts of the city in the morning. The high pollution level and fog could result in smog, experts have warned.
As per the figures of Safar, the city recorded ‘very poor’ air quality on Friday with the air quality index (AQI) reaching up to 340 µg/m3. The AQI station of Malad recorded the highest level with 432 µg/m3 in particulate matter (PM) 2.5. As per the WHO guidelines, the air quality of the station was ‘severe’ and it could affect the health of people triggering respiratory problems.
Of the nine AQI stations monitored by Safar, only Mazgoan and Worli registered better air quality.
The Mumbai sky was enveloped in fog Friday morning owing to meeting of cold and warm winds. “The low temperature coupled with the mixing of warm and moisture-laden westerly winds created the fog,” said Ajay Kumar, a senior official at the meteorological department in Mumbai.
However, as per experts, there are chances that with the rising pollution level, the fog might lead to smog, which is a mixture of fog and pollutants. “Pollution and fog together lead to smog, so with the rise in pollution, it can form smog,” said Mr Kumar.
An official from the meteorology department said, “Fog mainly occurs in the early morning, but if it persists in the latter half of the day, it can turn into smog with the rise in air pollution.”
Mumbaikars have expressed their concern on social media platforms. Chetan Mahajan of Twitter handler @ChetanMahajan tweeted ‘#Mumbai beats #Delhi on #Smog, #run at #marinedrive was an unpleasant experience #chocked throat and #wateryeyes’ in the evening of Friday (sic).
