The overall air quality of Mumbai on Friday remained in the moderate category though a slight increase was witnessed compared to the past few days. Malad, however, recorded a poor AQI of 201 in the morning, which rose to 203 by the evening. Experts blame the fluctuating weather and localised pollution.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the SAMEER app, Malad West (IITM) recorded an AQI of 180 (moderate) at 9 am on January 16. By Friday morning, it had risen to 201. Similarly, Borivli East saw its AQI go from 174 on Thursday to 189 on Friday while Byculla’s AQI increased from 160 to 188 over the same period. By evening, Mumbai's overall AQI was 144.