According to IQAir, a Switzerland-based group that measures the air quality, Mumbai’s annual average PM2.5 concentration in 2020 stood at 41.3 micrograms/cubic metre which is around four times above the World Health Organization (WHO) limit.
In 2019, the PM2.5 concentration in the city was 45.3 µg/m3, so the reading from 2020 is considered an improvement from the previous year. However, it’s well beyond safe limits, particularly for sensitive groups.
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More broadly, around 35 of the world’s 50 most polluted cities were in India as per the IQAir 2020 World Air Quality Report which compiled the air quality data for a total of 106 countries.
The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has previously stated that PM2.5 is one of the major pollutants responsible for unhealthy air in the city. Continued exposure to PM2.5 can cause diseases including cancer as well as some cardiac problems.
IQAir’s data shows that the average concentration of PM2.5 in Mumbai was highest in December 2020 at 70.6 µg/m3. Historically, the region sees a high level of air pollution during the winter whereas air pollution levels are relatively low just after the monsoon.
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The impact of the lockdown was also illustrated in the report, showing that the lowest PM2.5 monthly average of 15.9 µg/m3 was recorded in June 2020.
Although an 11 per cent reduction was seen in the yearly average of PM2.5 levels owing to the lockdown, India was at third place as the world’s most polluted country behind Bangladesh and Pakistan.
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