Mumbai: The city, on Monday, was surrounded by a thick blanket of smog, which was not just a weather phenomenon but a result of severe air pollution. The air quality index of Mumbai dropped to a ‘poor’ level and touched 300, according to the System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) network of monitoring stations.
When the AQI level is 200 to 300, it is considered ‘poor’ and if it is above 300 it is considered ‘very poor.’ SAFAR had predicted AQI levels to remain poor at 283 on Monday, but it degraded further just about touching the ‘very poor’ levels. Out of the nine monitoring stations of SAFAR, five recorded ‘very poor’ quality air.
AQI remained ‘very poor’ throughout the day at Mazgaon (342) Colaba (336), Malad (321), Chembur (319) and Bandra Kurla Complex (313).
The air quality levels in the city have been on the decline for the past few days, which officials had attributed to the ongoing meteorological systems. However, they say that the situation is further exacerbated by human activities including construction, burning of firewood for warmth and burning municipal or other waste.
“Mumbai is blessed to have winds coming in from western and southwestern directions at different times of the year,” said Rakesh Kumar, former director of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).
However, during winter, the wind direction starts changing to north and northeast directions, which slows the wind-down, he added. This means that all the pollution that would otherwise be blown away by the winds is being held within them.
Lack of wind flow, as well as sunlight during winters, aid the accumulation of particulate matter in the air that cause low visibility, said Kumar.
Kumar also said that the presence of very tall structures in the city also creates what is called an urban tunnel which prevents the flow of the wind between these high-rises.
Construction activities are not just restricted to the ground level but also go on inside each of these tall structures on higher levels, which end up adding to the existing pollutants in the air, he said.
Avick Sil, director of Enviro Policy Research India, a government-accredited environmental consultancy, said that many of the factors contributing to the worsening of the situation can’t be tracked down. “These contributors include burning firewood during the nights, and illegal burning of municipal or garden waste. These small sources can build up into a big problem,” he said.
Dr Salil Bendre, head of chest medicine at Nanavati Max Super Specialty Hospital said that while industrial and vehicular pollution is stagnant throughout the year, the decline in AQI observed during the winter season aggravates asthma, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and other respiratory disorders.
“Unfortunately, since the winters begin soon after Diwali, individuals with respiratory distress who are still reeling with poor air quality due to firecrackers need to take additional precautions,” he added.
Bendre said that cold climates don’t allow particulate matter and carbon monoxide – two most harmful substances for respiratory disorders – to escape into the upper atmosphere
“This year, we are yet to see such cases but it’s ideal for people to take simple precautions such as wearing a mask and avoiding road travel and opting for public transport,” he added.
Chembur-based businessman Harshad Shah shared that his wife is suffering from breathing difficulty for the last couple of days which makes her unable to do any work around the house. “There is metro construction work going on very close to my house at Chembur naka. It not only creates a lot of dust pollution but also leads to a traffic jam that makes the air quality around us poorer than other parts of the city,” he said.
He also said that, for a couple of days, all he can see from the windows of his eighth-floor office in Dadar is smog. He feels that with the failing health of the people, the government must stop some construction activities for at least a week, otherwise, Mumbai will become as bad as Delhi.
Sneha Visaria, a resident of Girgaon and a waste management entrepreneur, said she has experienced a marked difference in the air quality in Mumbai and places around the city. “In the last couple of weeks, I have taken three train journeys. Each time, I started coughing and sneezing the moment we entered Mumbai.
She finds visiting the fancy rooftop restaurants dotting the coastline of the city waste. “We go there for the sea view or to look at the Queen’s necklace from an altitude, but all you see is a blur. If the sea wasn’t so close to us, we would be worse than Delhi in terms of air pollution,” she said.