Mumbai weather updates: Air quality deteriorates, city struggles to breathe

Mumbai continued to experience poor air quality across the city postDiwali Navy Nagar in Colaba Kandivli West Sewri Malad West Bandra Kurla Complex and KherwadiBandra recorded the worst AQI levels during the festival While the cityrsquos overall AQI has slightly improved many areas still face poor to very poor air qualityAccording to the Central Pollution Control Boardrsquos SAMEER app Mumbairsquos AQI on Sunday was 157 moderate down from Saturdayrsquos 208 poormdashthe cityrsquos highest AQI in 2024 so far Navy Nagar Colaba reported the cityrsquos worst reading on Sunday reaching an AQI of 317 recorded by IITM in the lsquovery poorrsquo range Kandivli West BMC recorded 244 Sewri BMC 233 Malad West BMC 232 Bandra Kurla Complex MPCB 211 and Kherwadi Bandra 208For reference the AQI scale rates air quality as lsquogoodrsquo between 050 lsquosatisfactoryrsquo from 51100 lsquomoderatersquo from 101200 lsquopoorrsquo between 201300 lsquovery poorrsquo from 301400 and anything above 400 as lsquoseverersquoThe postDiwali pollution underscores the impact of festival emissions on air quality with some neighbourhoods faring worse than others The situation highlights the need for ongoing air quality management especially after highemission eventsFeeling the heatThough November is typically a winter month Mumbaikars are experiencing an unexpected heatwave with temperatures above 34degC in the first days This early November warmth isnrsquot unprecedented past records show similar peaks like 37degC on November 4 2014 and 374degC on November 4 2018 This year November 2 and Novemvber 3 both reached 365degC making Mumbai hottest in Maharashtra even surpassing warmer regions like Akola and Jalgaon Meteorologists expect temperatures to stay around 34degC to 35degC for a few more days with cooler nights setting in laterExpert SpeakClimatologist Rajesh Kapadia from Vagaries of the Weather a private forecasting blog explained the conditions saying ldquoThese high temperatures often occur following the withdrawal of the monsoon The wind pattern shifts from westerly to easterly bringing in hot dry inland winds from the east This raises the temperature in Mumbai although with lower humidity the air feels less oppressiverdquo Kapadia added that the city might continue seeing a temperature of 34degC to 35degC until November 8 or 9 However the absence of clouds is expected to provide some relief at night with lows potentially dipping to 21degC resulting in a daily temperature range of about 14degC He further noted that this diurnal variation could impact vulnerable individuals as the sudden shifts between daytime heat and nighttime coolness can challenge the bodyrsquos acclimatisationMeteorologists from Skymet Weather a private forecasting agency commented on the ongoing warmth stating ldquoMumbai continues to reel under warm and sultry conditions with high humidity levels throughout the day After the southwest monsoon withdraws the city undergoes a reversal of wind pattern with land breeze dominating the night and morning hours The sea breeze sets in anytime after 12 pm raising humidity and increasing afternoon discomfort However the evening breeze acts as a soother especially along the coastrdquoThey added that October and November share similar weather patterns postmonsoon ldquoDay temperatures remain around 33degC to 34degC in both months Night temperatures however drop from 24degC to 25degC in October to around 21degC in Novemberrdquo According to Skymet ldquoWeather conditions over Mumbai are influenced by patterns in North India particularly in Punjab and Rajasthan After a winter anticyclone establishes over Rajasthan in November cool winds reach North Gujarat North Madhya Maharashtra and Konkan including Mumbai This pattern is still developing so a slight delay in cooler temperatures is likely With winter weather over North India expected to arrive later than usual the Konkan coast and Mumbai may face an extended warm and sultry spell with conditions likely improving by midNovemberSpikes across MaharashtraA recent report by ClimateTech startup Respirer Living Sciences Pvt Ltd shed light on the impact of Diwali festivities on air quality across key cities in Maharashtra including Mumbai Pune and Nagpur The study analysed air quality monitoring data from October 30 preDiwali October 31 Diwali and November 1 postDiwali to assess how festivalrelated activities influenced particulate matter levels PM25 and PM10 The findings reveal a significant increase in pollution with PM25 levels in each city rising over 50 per cent on average This analysis not only highlights the environmental implications of festive pollution but also emphasises the urgent need for targeted air quality management during such highemission eventsPM25 levels riseIn Mumbai PM25 pollution rose by 503 per cent from October 30 to November 1 jumping from 5746 mugm3 to 8639 mugm3 Some areas saw even larger increases Sewrirsquos levels rose by 1169 per cent Malad West by 1772 per cent and Kandivli West by 97 per cent Other spots like Byculla Chembur and Deonar also saw significant rises Cities like Dhule Nanded and PimpriChinchwad experienced even worse spikes highlighting the statewide impact of Diwali pollution Respirer CEO Ronak Sutaria stressed the need for better air quality management and public awareness to protect health across Maharashtra especially forvulnerable groups050Good AQI level