With the Mumbai Marathon just a day away, concerns over air pollution along the route have prompted immediate action from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). Following alarming findings by the Awaaz Foundation on Friday, which reported unsafe levels of particulate matter (PM2.5) along the marathon route, MPCB has deployed mobile air quality monitoring vans to assess the situation firsthand.

On Saturday morning, a monitoring van stationed at Worli Naka recorded PM2.5 levels that were deemed "alarming" and "unhealthy." The first reading at 11:00 AM registered 111.9 µg/m³, nearly double the Indian safety limit of 60 µg/m³ and over seven times the World Health Organization (WHO) standard of 15 µg/m³. A subsequent reading an hour later showed PM2.5 levels at 106 µg/m³, reinforcing concerns raised by the NGO.