10 locations in city breached AQI safety levels for 50 days in Nov, Dec: report

According to the NGO’s report, out of the ten locations, Malad recorded the worst average AQI of 89.65 ug/m3 during these two months, followed by 84.12 ug/m3 at Borivali (East), 82.45 ug/m3 at Navy Nagar (Colaba) and 76.56 ug/m3 at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC).

Furthermore, the report stated that both Borivali and Malad recorded poor air for 55 days in the last two months, while Navy Nagar and BKC recorded AQI below safety standards for 53 days.

“The first week of November recorded the highest pollution concentrations of the period. While unseasonal rainfall in the during mid-December provided temporary relief, the overall trend remains deeply concerning,” the report stated.

“These findings are particularly concerning because PM2.5 particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, posing severe health risks. The persistent high levels seen across multiple locations indicate a systemic problem that requires immediate intervention,” said Mohsin khan, senior project associate at Waatavaran.

On December 30, considering the rise in AQI levels, the BMC had implemented the GRAP 4 guidelines in Mumbai, restricting construction works in multiple pockets in the city that had been recording poor AQI consistently. However, these restrictions were relaxed earlier this week after the city’s AQI improved last week.

According to the CPCB dashboard, Mumbai’s overall AQI stood at 131 on January 9. Out of the 25 pockets in Mumbai, 23 recorded moderate AQI readings, while Borivali recorded ‘satisfactory’ AQI at 87, and Shivaji Nagar (Mankhurd) recorded ‘poor’ AQI of 214.

“Between November and December, Mumbai’s AQI dipped severely mainly due to climatic conditions, also large scale infrastructure works like road concretisation is underway leading to digging and trenching works. These factors also contributed to the worsening AQI. However, after interventions were taken up from last week, the situation improved a bit,”