Mumbaiites get no respite from ‘poor’ air and humidity
MUMBAI: The city experienced hazy conditions on Tuesday, with the high proportion of moisture in air aggravating the air pollution. The air quality index (AQI) for PM2.5 — particulate matter of 2.5 microns in size that can easily enter the lungs and cause health problems — was recorded at 217 (poor) on Tuesday.
According to the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the city will continue to record ‘poor’ air quality on Wednesday, with an AQI of 226.
“With cold conditions across north India and easterly to southeasterly winds blowing over the Mumbai region, pollutant particles through dust and other sources are getting suspended closer to the surface, and the high moisture is allowing a boundary layer to form, trapping more pollutants. Even the wind speed over the city is low,” said Gufran Beig, project director, SAFAR. SAFAR said high humidity over Mumbai was responsible for the increase in air pollution.
“Poor air quality is likely to continue in the coming days, as no respite is expected from high humidity,” Beig said.
Earlier this week, the city had recorded poor air at an AQI of 212 on Sunday and AQI of 206 on Monday. Of the 10 locations where SAFAR monitors AQI, Bandrakurla Complex continued to be the most polluted with an AQI of 302 (very poor). While Bhandup had the cleanest air in the city with an AQI of 77 (satisfactory), all other areas recorded ‘poor’ air quality ranging between 210 and 291 on Tuesday.
SAFAR and CPCB categorise AQI in the 0-50 range as good; 51-100 as satisfactory; 101-200 as moderate; 201-300 as poor; 301-400 as very poor and above 400 as severe.
The concentration of PM2.5 was 106 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m3) on Thursday against the safe limit of 60 µg/m3, and concentration for PM10 (larger coarser particles) was more than double the safe limit at 209 µg/m3 against the safe limit of 100 µg/m3.
“The peak relative humidity in Mumbai increased to 93%, which along with low-wind speed led to further deterioration of air quality,” said Akshay Deoras, meteorologist and PHD researcher, University of Reading, UK. “The air quality in the city is unlikely to improve on Wednesday since high humidity will continue along with low-wind speed.” Meanwhile, the minimum temperature was similar to previous days, with the day temperature dropping two degrees Celsius in the suburbs on Tuesday (from Monday) to 32 degrees Celsius; south Mumbai recorded 32.3 degrees Celsius.
“The city will witness increased cloud cover on Wednesday and Thursday with the possibility of light rainfall, so we can expect the air quality to return to the moderate category for some time,” said Deoras.