The air quality of the city was extremely poor on Saturday and will remain poor on Sunday. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was 254, which is classified as ‘Poor’ by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.
“Due to the westerly disturbances there is a lot of moisture in the air due to which the air quality has deteriorated since yesterday,” Dr. Gufran Beig, Project Director, SAFAR, said. This excess moisture has led to a smog-like condition, leading to poor visibility in several areas. Dr. Beig said air quality is likely to improve on Sunday but will still be ‘Poor’.
The overall air quality was lower due to high levels of particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5), which is classified as ‘Very Poor’. The worst-affected were Borivali, Andheri, Bandra and Colaba, where PM 2.5 levels were categorised as ‘Severe’. PM 2.5 is considered harmful fas the fine particles are able to travel deep into the respiratory tract.
On Sunday, the PM 2.5 levels are expected to continue to stay in the ‘Very Poor’category. Air quality in Colaba is expected to improve slightly. The SAFAR website advisory has recommended not doing any outdoor activity early morning and post-sunset. However, thousands are expected to be on the streets on Sunday morning for the Mumbai Marathon.