Mumbai's air quality in 'moderate' category, AQI at 135

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City's skyline was obscured by a haze of smog and Mumbai's air quality was classified as 'moderate' on Thursday.

The air quality index from 0 to 100 is considered 'good', 100 to 200 'moderate', 200 to 300 'poor', 300 to 400 'very poor' and from 400 to 500 or above 'severe'.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board's SAMEER app, Mumbai's air quality continued to be 'moderate' with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 135 at 10.20 am.

The main causes of air pollution in Mumbai are waste burning, industrial activity, construction dust, and vehicle emissions. These sources emit fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) into the atmosphere, which has the ability to enter the lungs deeply and result in heart problems, respiratory disorders, and other health issues.

The SAMEER App dashboard on Thursday showed Worli's AQI as 134 and Borivali's AQI as 119. Chembur's AQI was in 'poor' category at 269. While Sion's AQI and Powai's AQI were in the 'moderate' category at 160 and 141, respectively.

Meanwhile, Byculla's AQI was in the 'good' category at 97.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in their daily forecast for the city and surrounding areas, said that the sky will remain clear today. The maximum temperature is likely to be around 33 degrees Celsius. While the minimum temperature is likely to be around 21 degrees Celsius.

There are numerous programmes in place to better Mumbai's air quality. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has imposed regulations on vehicle emissions, controlled dust areas at construction sites, and the encouragement of electric vehicles, among other things. The Maharashtra government has also introduced the "Clean Air Action Plan," which aims to cut emissions from different sources.

Navi Mumbai, according to data collated by SAMEER app, recorded 'moderate' air quality with AQI at 194. Nerul, located in Navi Mumbai, recorded a moderate AQI of 155.

Meanwhile, the cold wave continues to tightened its grip over Delhi-NCR with the minimum temperature recorded at 7.3 degrees on Thursday morning, as per India Meteorological Department data.

The maximum temperature is expected to be around 15 degrees in the national capital today and the fog conditions are likely to decrease in the next two days, the IMD said.

While IMD said that the cold wave is likely to persist for the next 2-3 days in Delhi and the National Capital Region.