Mumbai AQI reaches 171 after Diwali celebrations

Mumbai’s air quality deteriorated after Diwali celebrations, with the Central Pollution Control Board’s dashboard showing an overall Air Quality Index of 171 at 9 a.m. on Monday, November 9. The reading was in the moderate category, while eight monitored locations were classified as poor, according to data reported from the dashboard.

Bandra East’s Kherwadi area had the highest reported reading, at 265. Bandra Kurla Complex recorded 232, Sewri 229, Deonar 228, Ghatkopar 221, Navy Nagar in Colaba and Shivaji Nagar in Mankhurd 220 each, and Chembur 215. Under the Central Pollution Control Board’s scale, AQI readings from 201 to 300 are poor.

The citywide figure followed cleaner daytime readings on Diwali, Sunday, November 8. The dashboard recorded Mumbai’s AQI at 131 around 1 p.m., while another report gave a Sunday reading of 132. Both accounts described air quality worsening during the evening celebrations. A separate real-time reading cited by one report put Mumbai’s AQI at 278 at 9:34 p.m.; that account attributed the increase to firecracker emissions.

The dashboard identified PM2.5 as the main pollutant at the locations in the Monday-morning report. Atmospheric scientist...