At 131, Mumbai’s AQI on Diwali afternoon was its lowest in four years. But the air still isn’t clean

Mumbai experienced its cleanest Diwali afternoon air in four years on Sunday, with the air quality index (AQI) reaching 131 at 1 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) dashboard. While this is lower than the past three years' readings of 194 in 2023, 181 in 2024, and 149 in 2023, it still falls in the CPCB's 'moderate' category, which can cause breathing discomfort for those with lung diseases, asthma, and heart conditions.

Atmospheric scientist Gufran Beig attributes the improvement to a strong sea breeze caused by wind reversal due to fluctuations in El Niño conditions. However, the city's air quality is expected to deteriorate after Diwali due to the use of firecrackers, which have already begun to rise in pollutant levels since the first week of October.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.