Mumbai's air quality remains in 'moderate' category, AQI at 129

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Mumbai's air quality continued to remain in the 'moderate' category on Wednesday morning.

The air quality index from 0 to 100 is considered 'good', 100 to 200 'moderate', 200 to 300 'poor', 300 to 400 'very poor' and from 400 to 500 or above 'severe'.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board's SAMEER app, Mumbai's air quality continued to be 'moderate' with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 129 at 10.30 am.

The main causes of air pollution in Mumbai are waste burning, industrial activity, construction dust, and vehicle emissions. These sources emit fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) into the atmosphere, which has the ability to enter the lungs deeply and result in heart problems, respiratory disorders, and other health issues.

The SAMEER App dashboard on Wednesday showed Worli's AQI as 108 and Borivali's AQI as 126. Bandra Kurla Complex's AQI was in 'poor' category at 220. While Sewri's AQI and Sion's AQI were in the 'moderate' category at 173 and 133, respectively.

Meanwhile, Colaba's AQI was in the 'good' category at 98.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in their daily forecast for the city and surrounding areas, said that the sky will remain clear today. The maximum temperature is likely to be around 32 degrees Celsius. While the minimum temperature is likely to be around 22 degrees Celsius.

There are numerous programmes in place to better Mumbai's air quality. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has imposed regulations on vehicle emissions, controlled dust areas at construction sites, and the encouragement of electric vehicles, among other things. The Maharashtra government has also introduced the "Clean Air Action Plan," which aims to cut emissions from different sources.

The air quality of Thane was recorded to be in the 'moderate' category as well with the AQI at 120. Navi Mumbai, according to data collated by SAMEER app, too recorded 'moderate' air quality with AQI at 129. Nerul, located in Navi Mumbai, recorded a good AQI of 82.

Meanwhile, Delhiites woke up to a cold morning on Wednesday as the minimum temperature dropped to 6.2 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal. The relative humidity at 8:30 am was 92 per cent. The weather office has predicted a partly cloudy sky during the day.

The air quality index (AQI) in Delhi on Wednesday improved to 270 from 295 a day ago but continued to remain in the poor category.