Mumbai's air quality in ‘poor’ category, AQI at 119

Dadar beach, Mumbai. Pic/Satej Shinde

Mumbai's air quality on Wednesday morning improved further with AQI 119 but remained under "poor" category, according to aqi.in.

The AQI dropped by 59 points as compared to 176 on Tuesday, a considerable drop.

The report also stated that PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentration in Mumbai are 45 and 85 respectively. According to Swiss organisation iQAir PM2.5 concentration in Mumbai air is currently 17 times above the WHO annual air quality guideline value.

Here are the location-wise details.

As the temperature sees a drop in Mumbai, the AQI is witnessing improvement; however, it is still advisable to avoid outdoor exercises. Try to stay indoors with purifiers on as far as practicable and do not forget to wear N85 masks if stepping out.

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