Mumbai woke up to a layer of thick smog in the air on Saturday morning as the city's AQI rose to a significantly high level. In the video shared by news agency ANI from Bandra Reclamation shows a thick layer of smog lingering in the air.
According to aqi.in, several parts of Mumbai, including Bandra, Colaba, Borivali, Deonar, Juhu, etc, poor air quality was observed on Saturday, October 26.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Mumbai was recorded to be at very poor levels, ie 110 at 9:15 AM on October 26. The city recorded the concentration of particulate matter at 2.5 which is 2.9 times higher than the recommended levels of PM by World Health Organisation. Here is the AQI of different areas in Mumbai.
| Location | Status | AQI-US |
| Bandra kurla Complex | Moderate | 97 |
| Bandra East | Poor | 129 |
| Borivali East | Poor | 142 |
| Borivali East MPCB | Good | 32 |
| Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport | Moderate | 76 |
| Colaba | Poor | 154 |
| Deonar | Poor | 160 |
| Juhu | Poor | 110 |
| Khindipada | Moderate | 74 |
| Kurla | Moderate | 80 |
| Mahape | Moderate | 79 |
| Malad | Poor | 134 |
Mumbai has witnessed a slight deterioration in air quality over the past few days. On Friday, the city woke up to a thick layer of smog on Friday, with a moderate AQI of 114. The pollution levels in Mumbai and other metro cities, and locations in northern states are likely to worsen in the coming days due to winter season and Diwali celebrations.
According to experts, air pollution reaches its peak during winter season because of a range of factors including reduction in temperatures, low rainfall, and increased biomass burning for heating. North India witnesses a rise in pollution levels during the winter season because of the rampant practice of stubble burning by farmers to clear their fields and prepare them for the next crop cycle. Notably, together all these factors lead to rise in pollution levels during winter season.
