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WITH THE arrival of Diwali, the air quality over Mumbai dropped to the ‘unhealthy’ category on Sunday evening. According to IQAir, an air quality monitoring website, the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Sunday evening was measured at 153, which falls in the ‘unhealthy’ category. ‘Unhealthy’ AQI pose a serious threat to senior citizens and children.
The primary pollutants in the air, PM2.5, which is discharged from ashes, particles discharged from bursting crackers, smoke and tobacco particles were measured at 61.3 micrograms per cubic metres, while the PM10 reading was 137.1 micrograms per cubic metres.
According to Central Pollution Control Board, an AQI between 0-50 means ‘good’ air quality while the range between 51-100 is ‘moderate’ air. An AQI between 101-150 falls in ‘unhealthy’ for sensitive groups, while reading in the 151-200 range is ‘unhealthy’ for everyone. An AQI in the 201-300 range is considered as ‘extremely unhealthy’, while AQI above 300 is ‘hazardous’.
Experts attributed the deteriorating air quality to the ongoing festive season and said the AQI will drop further after the end of the festive season. “The AQI is high because of Diwali celebrations. Since people have started bursting crackers today, it may see a marginal shift towards the worse category in the next two days, following which it will start coming back to normal with regular wind blowing in a particular direction,” said Mahesh Palawat, climate expert and meteorologist from Skymet weathers.
In Mumbai, an AQI of 166 was recorded at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, followed by an AQI of 162 at Deonar and 160 at Kurla and Sion.
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