Mumbai AQI: City wakes up to haze as air quality slips into ‘moderate’ level across key areas

Mumbai AQI: Mumbai woke up to a heavy shroud of haze on Sunday, as the AQI (Air Quality Index) near the Bandra Reclamation region was 154, categorised as 'moderate', as per CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) guidelines.

As per the readings obtained from the Central Pollution Control Board, the Air Quality Index at Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai, was noted to be 157 at 11 am.

Current AQI of other regions in Mumbai

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As of 11 am, in other parts of Mumbai, AQI was recorded as Chembur (181), Kurla (127), Chakala-Andheri East-IITM (115), Mazgaon (93), Malad West (140), Ghatkopar (161) and Worli (106).

The AQI is classified into six categories: 0-50 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.

AQI categorisation

The level of AQI between 0-50 is rated 'good', which means little or no health effect. While in the case of 51 to 100, the level of AQI is rated as 'satisfactory', meaning the quality is still acceptable, but sensitive people as children, elderly persons and those with breathing problems, can feel a little discomfort.

The 'moderate' category, which is assigned from 101 to 200, indicates the rise of pollution levels, which can cause persons with asthma, lung or heart disease to have difficulty in breathing.

An AQI of 201 to 300 means 'poor', which is a period where the air is bad enough that even healthy people with no prior issues can complain about discomfort. This has become a common scenario during winter in some areas of the capital city.

The ranges of levels from 301 to 400 are termed 'very poor', which might lead to developing respiratory diseases even for healthy people if the exposure is long. With the levels of 401 to 500, the air is found very polluted coming under the category of 'severe'. At this point, air becomes a dangerous thing for everyone.

Delhi-NCR AQI worsens

The average Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital region read 461 at 7 am, which categorised it as 'severe'. Despite the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-IV being in operation throughout Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), the situation was reported by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).