POLLUTION

30 Cities, Including Mumbai, Delhi, and Ahmedabad, Witness ‘Poor’ to ‘Very Poor’ Air Quality on Sunday

Dense fog over Mumbai on Sunday, January 23 (Sanjay Hadkar / BCCL, Mumbai) — File photo of dense fog over Mumbai last month
(Sanjay Hadkar / BCCL, Mumbai)

Monday, February 7: Pollution has turned part and parcel of the winter season for most cities across India. While poor air quality is common across north Indian cities most days of the year, pollution levels have continued to rise sharply in eastern and western cities as well in recent years. The pollution season peaks from November to January across the Indian subcontinent, but persistent pollution has continued to linger well into February this year.

On Sunday, more than 30 cities out of 150+ cities across India, including major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad, reported ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ air quality. As per the evening bulletin from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Ghaziabad was the most-polluted city with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 325 at 4 pm.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 is 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'. Poor AQI can cause breathing discomfort to most people, while ‘very poor’ air can induce respiratory illness on prolonged exposure.

Even on Monday noon, Mumbai witnessed ‘very poor’ air quality with an AQI of 314, as per the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR). In contrast, most other cities witnessed some improvement in air quality on Monday. Poor ventilation and dust inflow from Rajasthan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have kept AQI of Mumbai in the ‘very poor’ category, explains SAFAR. Similar conditions are forecast to continue until Tuesday for Mumbai, with some improvements from Wednesday onwards.

Delhi’s AQI, which remained ‘very poor’ on Sunday, improved to 290 on Monday. SAFAR attributes the improvement to clear sky and vertical mixing of air pollutants due to increased temperature. Further, the national capital region is set to witness ‘moderate’ or ‘satisfactory’ air quality by Wednesday evening due to expected rain and associated wet deposition. From Thursday onwards, relatively high wind speed is likely to keep AQI within the ‘moderate’ or lower end of the ‘poor’ category, says SAFAR.

Ahmedabad’s air quality improved from ‘very poor’ on Sunday to ‘poor’ on Monday and is likely to improve to ‘Moderate’ in the next two days.

Owing to the high levels of air pollution, the SAFAR has urged Mumbai residents to avoid outdoor physical activities in the early morning and after sunset. The health advisory adds: avoid prolonged or heavy exertion, go for a short walk instead of a jog, stop any activity level if you experience any unusual coughing, chest discomfort, wheezing, breathing difficulty, or fatigue, close windows, avoid burning of wood, candles or incense, don’t vacuum, and wear N-95 or P-100 masks if you have to go out.

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