Mumbai Pollution "Severe", Smog Will Persist Till Friday, Says Met Office

Mumbai: The Mumbai skyline is wrapped in a haze. The city woke up to a smoggy day with citizens on their way to work complaining of burning eyes and difficulty in breathing. People tweeted about a dull sky behind thick smog. 

On my way back late last night, I thought Mumbai looked like one of those war-zone cities from the old movies. Very very hazy, gloomy, shadowy under the street-lights.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) February 8, 2018

Pollution levels at Bandra were the worst with Particulate Matter (PM)10 at 405 at 10:30 am, which is "severe" as per the Air Quality Index (AQI) data.

PM10 levels over 400 affects healthy people while seriously impacting those with existing respiratory illnesses. 

The meteorological department has said stagnant winds, cloud cover and high humidity are the reasons for the spike in pollution levels for the last 48 hours but it is expected to improve tomorrow evening onward. 

Officials from System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the body which measures AQI or pollution levels said, "There is a western disturbance which is pulling in a lot of moisture, but as the sun comes up, heat would reduce moisture and pollution levels, thereby improving air quality."

Critical pollution levels are no longer just Delhi's issue, the Supreme Court on January 25, while hearing petitions on combating pollution, had asked the Centre to look into the problem of air pollution on a nationwide basis and not confine it to Delhi-NCR only; the court cited reports suggesting that cities in Uttar Pradesh , Raipur and Patna were more polluted. The top court had asked the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) what it proposed to do on the air pollution issue for the rest of the country.

Mumbai last saw pollution levels like today's after Diwali last year, when the AQI levels touched 400. Pollution levels between 51-100 is considered satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and over 400 is severe.