Mumbai witnesses worst Air Quality Index since March

On Sunday, November 1, in the wee hours, the city of Mumbai recorded an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 156.

With the southwestern monsoons exiting the city coupled with the dip in temperatures, in recent developments, the pollution in the island city has soared compared to the time when the lockdown began back in March.

According to the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), an AQI between 101 and 200 is moderate and poses a minor health risk to sensitive people. Just before the coronavirus-induced lockdown began, the AQI on March 18 was 172, and it dipped to 130 the next day. The AQI has been in ‘good’ to ‘satisfactory’ levels until recently, as per reports.

In the past, the highest AQI of 121 since March was clocked on October 13. As temperatures dip and the monsoons slowly decline, the AQI witnesses an increase across the city. Bandra Kurla Complex was the most polluted with an AQI of 305. which is ‘very poor’. However, at an AQI of 38, Worli had the cleanest air.

Air pollution results in a significant increase in the concentration of Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5), which are tiny particles in the air. When these tiny particles, that are 1/30th the size of human hair, are inhaled, they travel all the way to the lungs and enter the bloodstream, resulting in serious damage to all the major organs in the body. This could be especially problematic considering that the world is grabbling with the coronavirus at the moment which primarily affects the lungs.