Mumbai: Citizens breathe cleanest air in 2 years, air quality index up at 18

Mumbaikars can thank the weekend showers for the cleanest air they have inhaled in two years.

The System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 18— the safest to breathe since it began monitoring pollution in June 2015. An AQI of under 100 is considered to be in the “good category

SAFAR had recorded an AQI of 32 on October 12, 2017—a record that was broken on Monday when it dropped to 18 from 52 on Sunday. SAFAR’s health advisory for the city likewise read: “Enjoy the day.”
Air quality is measured by the level of the main pollutant in the air—particulate material 2.5 or PM2.5 particles that measure less than 2.5 microns.

Mumbai’s low pollution levels on Monday can be attributed to heavy rain over the weekend and high wind speeds. “The rain usually washes off pollutants in the air during monsoon but what happened on Monday was unusual for Mumbai.


The city received a lot of rainfall over the weekend. Additionally, the winds picked up speed early on Monday morning. Clean winds coming from the sea swept away all the little pollutants that were present,” said Gufran Beig, project director, SAFAR.


Among the 10 locations monitored in Mumbai, two—Worli and Navi Mumbai—recorded an AQI of less than 10. The most polluted air was recorded at Colaba and Borivli, both 29.

Mumbai’s pollution levels on Monday were also the lowest among the four cities monitored by SAFAR. Delhi recorded an AQI of 159 and Ahmedabad 140, which are categorized as moderate, and Pune 45, which was in the good category too.


Mumbaikars said they could feel the difference. “I usually walk for around 1km and on most days it feels like if I am breathing a lot of polluted air, but Monday definitely felt cleaner,” said Sana Aurora, a financial consultant at Powai. SAFAR expects the AQI to deteriorate in the coming days but stay in the 0-100 category. “Since Monday’s condition was unusual, the AQI will rise if there is no rain on a day. During all of monsoon, Mumbai is expected to have an AQI under 100,” said Beig.