Mumbai's air quality worse than Delhi for the first time
The air quality in Mumbai, Maharashtra, has reportedly seen a significant drop, with the air quality index (AQI) reaching 170 on Wednesday, surpassing Delhi's AQI of 160, per IQAir's real-time data. The financial capital's skyline has also been covered in smog for the past few days, which is expected to disperse after Wednesday with winds moving northward. Experts said the meteorological phenomenon "air inversion" led to this situation in Mumbai, making AQI worse than Delhi for the first time.
Why does this story matter?
In February, Mumbai ranked the second most polluted city in the world in terms of the global AQI, according to Switzerland-based air quality monitoring tech company IQAir, per The Indian Express. The data reportedly stated that Mumbai had the worst AQI level in India, followed by Delhi and Kolkata. Earlier, Delhi ranked fourth among the world's most polluted cities in 2022. This situation presents a major health risk for the residents of the cities.
Smog to last for 2 more days in Mumbai: Experts
According to SAMEER, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board's (MPCB) real-time AQI monitoring app, multiple monitoring stations in the city recorded "poor to very poor" AQI on Tuesday. Meanwhile, weather experts said "air inversion" occurs when a layer of colder air near the ground is trapped by a layer of warm air above the surface, effectively collecting pollutants and generating a smog layer, according to Mid-Day. They reportedly projected that the smog would last for another two days.
Cityscape haze, varying AQI readings
The haze in Mumbai was reportedly caused by vehicle emissions, smoke, and dust from slums and industrial areas lingering in the still air, News18 reported. However, the city's overall air pollution level remained moderate at 113, only slightly higher than Monday's reading of 115. In contrast, Delhi recorded an AQI of 165 on Monday. Suburbs like Andheri (346), Mazagaon (317), and Navi Mumbai (317) experienced a decline in air quality, registering a "very poor" AQI compared to the previous day.
Delhi records lowest temperature this season
On Tuesday, Delhi recorded a high of 26.2 degrees Celsius, seven notches below normal and the lowest maximum temperature reported in October this year. Overnight showers led to a dip in the minimum temperature, settling at 17.2 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal. Gusty winds accompanied by rain lashed parts of the city on Monday night, resulting in 5mm of rainfall from 8:30am Monday to 8:30am Tuesday. The humidity dropped from 80% at 8:30am to 68% at 5:30pm on Tuesday.
Air Quality Index categories, predictions
The AQI scale ranges from 0-500, with 0-50 considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor, and 401-500 severe. An AQI above 500 falls into the severe plus category. On Wednesday, Delhi's AQI stood at 160 (moderate) at 10:30am and improved. It was recorded as 88 (satisfactory) on Tuesday evening around 8:00pm. The weather office predicts a generally cloudy sky for the rest of the day.
