Yesterday, the city woke up to a thick haze across the city, yet again raising concern over worsening air quality. While the mist disappeared over the course of the day, Swiss agency IQAir recorded the air quality index (AQI) as 142 (as of 7.51pm on Saturday), making Mumbai the ninth most polluted city in the world yesterday. Delhi features on the top of the list, ranking as the most polluted city in the world with an AQI of 258 as per IQAir.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board, Mumbai’s AQI was at 160, in the “moderate” category.  Experts have warned that AQI is likely to worsen during winter, as seen previously in 2023-24. As we move from prolonged rains to impending winter, Mumbai has consistently recorded worsening AQI during this seasonal change since 2022, particularly from November to January. This is due to reduced atmospheric moisture and considerably slow wind speed in comparison to the monsoon months.