Even as unaware Mumbai rains got tedious on Tuesday, August 16, it brought a sigh of relief as city’s air quality index (AQI) touched its cleanest best of 10 for the second time. The last time the city’s air was this clean on July 1.
As per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), Mumbai is experiencing some of the most clean-air days owing to unique monsoonal conditions.
In July, the AQI in Mumbai mostly remained below 20, while August has been experiencing even better air days with the index hovering around 15. On August 6, the city’s AQI was 11.
Earlier on May 20, the city recorded the year’s worst AQI of 309, which was worse than Delhi’s due to the repeated dust storms from the northwest.
SAFAR project director Gufran Beig clarified that the rains are washing away the pollutants, while strong winds are moving them far from the city.
“However, we must realise that clean air is nature’s gift and not an achievement to be proud of. We can have it throughout the year, not just during the monsoon season, if we continue to work towards resolving environmental crisis and find appropriate solutions,” Beig was quoted as saying by FPJ.
He also mentioned that rainfall across the country is ensuring good air quality in Delhi, Pune and Ahmedabad as well. On the same day, the three cities recorded an AQI of 20, 16, and 15, respectively.
There are six AQI categories, according to SAFAR, namely ‘good’ (0 to 50), ‘satisfactory’ (50 to 99), ‘moderate’ (100 to 199), ‘poor’ (200 to 299), ‘very poor’ (300 to 399), and ‘severe’ (400 to 500).
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