Amid frequent shifts in mercury levels in the past few days, Mumbai’s air quality index (AQI) has also been fluctuating between satisfactory and moderate.
For the first time, the city has seen such a significant improvement after suffering from “very poor” air quality for a month.
On Monday morning, January 13, the minimum temperature in Mumbai reached 19.8 degrees Celsius. With this, the city saw a significant rise from the day earlier, on Sunday morning, January 12, which saw 17.8 degrees. Meanwhile the maximum temperatures were hovering around 27-30 degrees Celsius.
With the increased breeze, the overall AQI of Mumbai continued to stay under the ‘Moderate’ category on Sunday, January 12 and Monday, January 13. However, some areas witnessed ‘Satisfactory’ and 'Good' AQI.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) SAMEER app, an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 125 was recorded at 9:05 am on January 13 in Mumbai.
Byculla recorded 'moderate' air quality with an AQI of 138. Colaba, Ghatkopar and Kurla recorded 'moderate' air quality with an AQI of 109, 140 and 110, respectively. Meanwhile, Shivaji Nagar recorded 'good' air quality, with an AQI of 49.
According to data from the SAMEER app, Navi Mumbai recorded air quality in the 'moderate' category with an AQI of 110, while Thane registered a 'moderate' AQI of 134.
On January 12, the Central Pollution Control Board’s SAMEER app reported the city’s air quality remained in the 'moderate' category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 117 at 9:05 am.
As per the SAMEER app dashboard, many areas across Mumbai showed 'moderate' AQI. Byculla recorded 'moderate' air quality with an AQI of 130. Colaba, Ghatkopar and Malad recorded 'moderate' air quality with an AQI of 109, 143 and 159, respectively.
Meanwhile, Mulund, Powai and Shivaji Nagar recorded 'good' air quality, with an AQI of 92, 76 and 73, respectively.
Despite the lingering haze over the city, six out of the 19 monitoring stations reported air quality in the satisfactory category, while Kurla recorded an AQI in the ‘good’ category.
According to data from the SAMEER app, Navi Mumbai recorded air quality in the 'moderate' category with an AQI of 120, while Thane registered a 'moderate' AQI of 149.
In November and December, Mumbai’s AQI fluctuated between moderate, poor, and very poor categories.
Weekly forecast:
On Tuesday, January 14, minimum and maximum temperatures are likely to rise further up to 20 and 32 degrees Celsius, with forecasts indicating mostly clear skies.
On Wednesday, January 15, the minimum temperatures may spike till 22 degrees and the maximum might reach 33 degrees.