Air Pollution in Mumbai: Minister Pankaja Munde Chairs Meeting to Tackle Situation

Mumbai: Maharashtra Environment and Climate Change minister Pankaja Munde on Thursday convened a high-level meeting to tackle Mumbai's deteriorating air quality, an official said.

The Air Quality Index in Mumbai was 175 on January 1, which falls under the 'poor' category. It improved to 153 on January 2.

However, air quality remains in the 'unhealthy for sensitive groups' category, with particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) levels remaining a significant concern.

Construction activities, particularly large-scale residential projects and infrastructure developments, have contributed to the rising pollution levels, Munde said.

"Cold weather has worsened the situation by causing microparticles from these activities to linger in the air, preventing them from dispersing. Officials have briefed me on this issue. We are working on an immediate draft to combat the declining air quality," the minister added.

Earlier, in response to high pollution levels, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) activated GRAP 4 (Graded Response Action Plan) in areas with the worst AQI readings.

Measures included halting construction work in regions with elevated pollution levels.

There are six AQI categories, namely good (0-50), satisfactory (51-100), moderately polluted (101-200), poor (201-300), very poor (301-400) and severe (401-500).