Mumbai’s temperature dips, air quality improves

Location-wise AQI of Mumbai

Mumbai woke up to cloudy skies on Sunday with minimum temperature as low as 19 degree Celsius. Owing to strong winds and chilly weather, the city's air quality has also improved and stood at "moderate" category will AQI 83 as of 8am.

PM 2.5 and PM 10 stood at 27 and 61 respectively.

However, the air still remains higher than the WHO annual air quality guideline value.

It is advisable for sensitive groups to avoid stepping outdoor. Keeping windows closed and air purifier on is also recommended. Everyone should try and reduce outdoor activities and exercises as far as practicable.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is an air pollutant that is a concern for people's health when levels in air are high. PM2.5 is tiny particles in the air that reduce visibility and cause the air to appear hazy when levels are elevated. Outdoor PM2.5 levels are most likely to be elevated on days with little or no wind or air mixing.

Air Quality Index (AQI) is a yardstick to measure the quality of air in a given area. It is measured from 0 to 500. A higher value of AQI denotes a greater level of pollutants in the air and hence a more severe impact on health.

The AQI index is divided into six categories, each corresponding to a different level of health concern.

- Green (0-50) - Good

- Yellow (51-100) - Moderate

- Orange (101-150) - Unhealthy for sensitive groups, Poor

- Red (151-200) - Unhealthy

- Purple (201-300) - Very unhealthy

- Maroon (301 and higher) - Hazardous