City limping back to normalcy as pollution levels fall steadily

MUMBAI: Citizens are heaving a sigh of relief after the city’s air quality further improved on Sunday.
The real-time data recorded by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) pegged Mumbai’s Air Quality Index (AQI) at 254. On Saturday, the city’s overall AQI improved to the “poor’’ category to 282 from “very poor” at 309 on Friday.
AQI levels between 201 and 300 are considered poor. The AQI had been above 300 (very poor category) since January 29, a day after the fire started at the Deonar dumping ground. AQI uses the 24-hour averages of pollutants, including sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, ozone and particulate matter. On Sunday, SAFAR data showed that the air quality also improved at Chembur, the suburb closest to the dumping ground.
While the AQI at Chembur on Saturday was 339, it was 200 on Sunday. Other suburbs too registered better air quality. Out of the nine locations in the city where SAFAR monitors the air quality, four—Bhandup, Borivli, Colaba and Chembur—had an AQI in the moderate category (102-200) and Worli and Malad showed an AQI in the good category (0-100).
“The winds seem to have picked up speed due to which the pollutants seemed to have dispersed. The air quality is improving each day,” said Neha Parkhi, senior programme officer, SAFAR.
The city temperatures on Sunday were close to normal. Santacruz recorded a minimum temperature of 16.8 degrees Celsius, which is 0.4 degree below normal. The minimum in Colaba was 20.3 degree Celsius, 0.8 degree above normal.