Mumbai woke up to unhealthy air on Tuesday, with several parts of the city recording ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ air quality levels. Data from different monitoring stations showed that pollution levels remain high in many residential and commercial pockets, raising concerns for daily commuters and vulnerable groups.
Worst-hit areas across Mumbai
As of 9 am, the worst-hit areas in Mumbai included Chakala – Andheri East (AQI 289), Mazgaon (AQI 276), Sewri (AQI 264), Navy Nagar–Colaba (AQI 257) and Siddharth Nagar–Worli (AQI 244), according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
CPCB data shows that some neighbourhoods recorded relatively lower AQI levels, such as Sion (AQI 80), Vasai West (AQI 106) and Khindipada–Bhandup West (AQI 116), falling in the ‘satisfactory’ to ‘moderate’ range. However, most other parts of Mumbai continued to remain in the ‘poor’ band.
According to the CPCB’s air quality scale, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered good, 51–100 is satisfactory, 101–200 falls under the moderate category, 201–300 is labelled poor, 301–400 is very poor, and anything between 401–500 is classified as severe.
GRAP-4 may be imposed if air quality worsens
If the air quality does not improve over the next two days, the government will enforce the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) 4, a civic official told HT. Under GRAP-4, all construction-related activities will be halted until conditions get better.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has also issued stop-work notices to 59 construction sites and ready-mix concrete plants.
Additionally, authorities have warned that strict action will be taken against violators, who may face fines, stop-work notices, and even complete shutdowns of their sites.
This comes amid a significant weather shift across several parts of Maharashtra as November draws to a close. Mumbai is likely to see light to moderate rain on Tuesday. Other regions, including Thane, Navi Mumbai, and Ratnagiri, are also expected to receive light showers today.
Volcanic Ash from Ethiopia likely to reach Maharashtra
A plume of volcanic ash from Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano, which erupted for the first time in 12,000 years, is expected to drift into parts of India on Tuesday before spreading across several northern states. According to IndiaMetSky Weather, the ash cloud is likely to enter Gujarat and move towards Rajasthan, northwest Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab by around 10 pm. It may later influence the Himalayan region and adjoining areas as it continues its trajectory.
The Hayli Gubbi volcano sent massive plumes rising nearly 14 kilometres into the sky after Sunday’s eruption. The ash is travelling at a speed of 100–120 km/h at altitudes between 15,000 and 25,000 feet and in some pockets up to 45,000 feet. The cloud contains volcanic ash, sulphur dioxide, and fine particles of glass and rock.
IndiaMetSky Weather has cautioned that the incoming plume could darken skies, cause hazy conditions, and potentially affect air traffic, leading to delays and longer flight durations.