Mumbai: Mumbai woke up to a rare winter-like calm on Friday as clear skies, gentle winds and cooler temperatures offered residents a brief escape from the city’s usual heat and humidity. According to weather officials, the mercury hovered around a comfortable 18°C in the morning and was expected to climb to nearly 33°C by afternoon, making it one of the more pleasant days this season.
Despite the refreshing weather, the air told a different story. A visible haze lingered over several parts of the city, pointing to an ongoing pollution crisis that refuses to ease. Early morning data from air quality monitoring agencies showed Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 277, a level categorised as ‘unhealthy’ and dangerous for prolonged outdoor exposure.
Environmental experts say the pollution burden remains high even though readings have slightly dipped compared to earlier extreme spikes this winter. The impact is particularly severe on children, the elderly and people suffering from asthma, heart ailments and other respiratory conditions.
A major contributor to the worsening air quality is the massive scale of construction activity across Mumbai. Continuous work on metro lines, coastal road projects, flyovers, bridges and road expansion has led to heavy dust emissions. Added to this are vehicle exhaust fumes during peak traffic hours and emissions from industrial zones, creating a toxic mix of fine particulate matter in the air.
Localised AQI data paints an alarming picture. Wadala Truck Terminal emerged as the most polluted pocket, recording an AQI close to 384, placing it in the ‘severe’ category. Chembur, Worli, Bandra East and Deonar also reported dangerously high readings above 320, making outdoor activity risky even for healthy individuals.
Suburban areas showed slightly better conditions, but pollution levels were still far from safe. Borivali, Kandivali, Malad and Mulund recorded AQI values ranging between 140 and 180, categorised as ‘poor’, indicating that clean air remains elusive across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
