Mumbai records cleanest air for 2019 on Tuesday

MUMBAI: Attributing to the incessant rainfall the city has received this monsoon, Mumbai observed its cleanest air day of 2019 on July 23. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), surface visibility has increased up to 10 km from the average 5-6 km in the city due to low air pollution levels.

Air Quality Index (AQI) which is the pollutant measuring indicator used in India was at 21, which is categorised as ‘good’ for the PM2.5 pollutant — fine particles that can stay in the air for days or weeks and are small enough to invade even the narrowest of airways leading into the body.

“Active monsoon conditions are leading to more moisture in Mumbai’s air. High moisture levels increase the pollutant-carrying capacity of the air. Fast winds originating from the ocean (westerly winds) further lead to an overall dispersion of pollutants,” said Gufran Beig, project director, SAFAR.

This is the third-lowest recorded AQI since the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) started monitoring pollution levels from June 2015.

PM2.5 concentration, at 12 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) against the safe limit of 60µg/m³, was also recorded lowest for this year for 24 hours. For Wednesday and Thursday, the concentration is likely to rise to 14µg/m³.