Mumbai's Bandra-Worli Sea Link Vanishes In Smog: Check Before-After Photo

Mumbai's iconic Bandra-Worli Sea Link has vanished under dense smog in a viral before-and-after photograph circulating on social media.

The before picture, taken in October 2025, shows the bridge clearly against the skyline, while the recent image, just a month later, has it completely shrouded in smog, barely visible.

"A month apart from the same viewpoint in Bandra. The change says everything," an X user wrote, sharing the photograph.

This one is from Mazgaon area.. atal setu in sight
Shared by Ronaq Husain pic.twitter.com/YVl6FmIAcm

— Mumbai Heritage (@mumbaiheritage) November 27, 2025

The same account also shared a picture of the Mazgaon area, with Atal Setu and distant hills visible. According to the post, the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the area has deteriorated over the past one month. On October 26, the AQI was 54, but it rose to 196 on November 18 and to 255 on November 26. Now, the entire area is engulfed in smog with little to no visibility.

This one is from Mazgaon area.. atal setu in sight
Shared by Ronaq Husain pic.twitter.com/YVl6FmIAcm

— Mumbai Heritage (@mumbaiheritage) November 27, 2025

Another user shared a picture from Malabar Hills, where the Arabian Sea was completely visible on October 11, but no longer the same by November 23.

Here is the view from Malabar Hill looking to the Arabian Sea. #IncredibleIndia #pollution #AQI #corruption pic.twitter.com/hqBVy2dl8A

— BombaySpy (@BombaySpy) November 27, 2025

Mumbai recorded a hazardous AQI of 281 on Friday, with several areas among the worst affected. The Wadala Truck Terminal reported an alarming AQI of 395, followed by Colaba at 317 and Chakala at 318. Worli and the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) each logged AQI levels of 310.

The Kandivali East recorded the day's lowest AQI at 130, classified as poor. Other suburbs also saw high pollution levels, with Powai at 200, Malad West at 210, Parel Bhoiwada at 220, and Mulund West at 237.

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday asked authorities why Mumbai's air quality had been getting worse for a long time. The bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad was hearing petitions filed in 2023 about dangerous pollution levels in the city.

During the hearing, the state government suggested that the recent eruption of Ethiopia's Hayli Gubbi volcano, which sent ash 14 km into the sky, made Mumbai's smog worse. The court, however, was not convinced. It said the city's air was already very poor even before the volcano erupted.

"Even before this eruption, if one stepped out, visibility was poor beyond 500 metres," the bench said.

The volcano, which erupted on Sunday for the first time, sent a cloud of ash all the way toward the Indian subcontinent. However, experts said this ash didn't really make India's air quality any worse, including in cities like Delhi, where pollution was already high.