Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data revealed the city's overall air quality index (AQI) had plummeted to 377.
Mumbai awoke to a thick haze and dangerously degraded air on Tuesday morning, as the festive celebrations of Diwali left a severe pollution hangover across India's financial capital.
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data revealed the city's overall air quality index (AQI) had plummeted to 377, solidly within the 'very poor' category. According to the CPCB's scale, an AQI from 301 to 400 is classified as 'very poor', a level where prolonged exposure can lead to respiratory illness.
The Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) monitoring station recorded one of the worst readings in the city, registering an AQI of 377 at 7 am, according to the CPCB. Hours later, at 9:06 am, data from the CPCB's SAMEER app showed the BKC-IITM station still grappling with a 'very poor' AQI of 374.
The pollution was widespread, with the Navy Nagar in Colaba and Mazgaon areas also recording levels of 346 and 309 respectively, placing them firmly in the 'very poor' zone, according to an HT report.
Meteorological conditions exacerbated the situation. Scientists attributed the sharp decline in air quality to a combination of stagnant wind patterns and a marathon of firecracker bursting the previous night, a common occurrence during Diwali festivities that typically causes a city-wide AQI spike.
The primary pollutant identified by the CPCB was the particularly hazardous PM2.5, microscopic particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
While the smog was a dominant feature of the morning skyline, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast a clearer sky through the day, offering some hope for dispersion. The IMD predicted temperatures to range between 25 and 36 degrees Celsius and issued no further weather warnings for the city.
A detailed breakdown of the air quality across Mumbai's neighbourhoods, as reported by HT, painted a stark picture of the pollution crisis.
Fourteen areas were languishing in the 'poor' category. Malad West (280), Deonar (274) and Worli (269) were among the worst affected in this band. Meanwhile, several other suburbs including Vasai West (107), Kurla (115) and Worli-MPCB (122) managed to remain in the 'moderate' category, illustrating a uneven distribution of pollution across the metropolitan region.