Mumbai: Mumbai and Navi Mumbai witnessed poor air quality, with a thick layer of haze taking a toll on visibility early on Saturday morning. Mumbaikars have been beset by dense smog since late on Friday night, which made it difficult for some citizens to breathe. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) for the city was 234 at 3 pm, according to the Central government’s System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research Initiative.
According to data from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), the AQI around Bandra railway station was 216 at 3 pm; the highest post-Diwali figure so far. The DC had earlier reported that the city had seen clear skies a day after its encounter with Cyclone Ockhi, with an improved AQI of 43. However, on Saturday Mumbaikars struggled with haze with visibility reduced to 50 metres and less in the morning, and the air was recorded as most polluted with Pm10 as 170 and Pm2.5 as 308. Navi Mumbai recorded Pm10 186 and Pm2.5 345, which fall in the ‘very poor’ category.
