After Diwali, Mumbai still faced low air quality throughout the city. During the festival, the areas with the highest levels of air pollution were Navy Nagar in Colaba, Kandivli West, Sewri, Malad West, Bandra Kurla Complex and Kherwadi-Bandra. Despite a slight improvement in the city's general Air Quality Index (AQI), numerous areas continue to experience poor to very poor air quality.
Based on the SAMEER app by the Central Pollution Control Board, Mumbai had an AQI of 157 (moderate) on Sunday, lower than Saturday's 208 (poor), which was the highest in 2024.
Navy Nagar in Colaba recorded the city's highest AQI reading on Sunday, hitting 317 (as documented by IITM) in the 'very poor' category. Kandivli West (BMC) had 244 cases, Sewri (BMC) 233 cases, Malad West (BMC) 232 cases, Bandra Kurla Complex (MPCB) 211 cases, and Kherwadi in Bandra had 208 cases.
The AQI scale categorises air quality as ‘good’ from 0-50, ‘satisfactory’ from 51-100, ‘moderate’ from 101-200, ‘poor’ between 201-300, ‘very poor’ from 301-400, and anything higher than 400 as ‘severe.’
The pollution after Diwali highlights how festival emissions affect air quality, with certain areas experiencing more severe impacts than others. The need for continuous air quality management is emphasised, particularly following events with high emissions.
