air quality: Mumbai’s air quality ‘very poor’, worse than Delhi, Pune | Mumbai News – Times of India

0
76

[google-translator]

MUMBAI: Almost three months after the repeated dust storms from northwest had severely polluted the air Mumbaikars breathe, the city on Thursday recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 309, which was worse than that of Delhi’s 191, according to the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR). Even Pune and Ahmedabad fared badly with AQI of 276 and 297, respectively.
Delhi is considered to be the country’s most polluted city.

20_05_2022_102_003_006_toim

According to the forecast by SAFAR, Mumbai’s AQI is likely to remain ‘very poor’ till Saturday, triggering a health alert for Mumbaikars, especially those with respiratory issues, for the next two days.
AQI is based on the concentration of carcinogenic particulate matter (PM2. 5) in air. AQI levels for PM2. 5 up to 50 are good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor and above 400 severe. Among the locations monitored by SAFAR, the most polluted location was Malad with an AQI of 353, followed by Mazgaon (330). Only Worli and Navi Mumbai had moderate AQI levels. Colaba’s AQI of 266 was in the ‘poor’ category, but on the higher side.
Track the pollution level in your city
According to Gufran Beig, SAFAR’s programme director, though the wind, accompanied by dust, from the Thar region is constantly flowing into city, it is unable to cross the high moisture or humid wall (low pressure area) that has been created due to high temperature in the northern hemisphere and pre-monsoon weather in southern parts. Thus, the combination of high moisture and humidity has forced the city’s rising smoke and dust to hang in the air, making Mumbai’s overall air quality very poor.
Two successive dust storms that had hit Mumbai’s coast in the last week of January and first week of February had made the air virtually unbreathable with the AQI crossing the 500-mark, the worst-level quality count ever for human beings to breathe.
Vehicular pollution, dust, smoke from garbage burning and industries mainly contribute to the pollution in Mumbai. Conversion of vehicles to greener fuels, power generation through greener modes and pollution-free garbage disposal will be the solutions to reach net-zero pollution goals, said experts, adding that it still looks like a distant dream.

Source link

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here