Mumbai weather: City’s brief winter respite fades as smog returns, AQI slips back into unhealthy zone

Mumbai weather

Mumbai woke up to a brief hint of winter on Wednesday, but the respite proved short-lived as a veil of smog soon enveloped the city, dragging air quality back into unhealthy territory and renewing concerns over worsening pollution levels.

Early morning hours offered clear skies, lower humidity and cooler temperatures, giving residents a fleeting sense of seasonal comfort. However, by mid-morning, haze had visibly thickened across several parts of the city, accompanied by a sharp, acrid smell in the air.

Office-goers, morning walkers and schoolchildren were among those who encountered reduced visibility, particularly in traffic-dense corridors and low-lying neighbourhoods.

The deterioration came despite a favourable forecast from the India Meteorological Department, which had predicted a bright and comfortable day with temperatures ranging between 19 degrees Celsius and 34 degrees Celsius. Instead, air quality rapidly emerged as the dominant concern.

According to data from air quality monitoring platform AQI.in, Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index stood at 265 during the early hours, placing it firmly in the ‘unhealthy’ category.

The setback follows a brief spell of improvement in recent weeks, indicating that the city’s pollution problem remains far from resolved. At such levels, health risks extend beyond vulnerable groups and can affect the general population, with children, the elderly and those with respiratory or cardiac conditions facing heightened danger.

Construction activity and fine particulate matter were identified as major contributors to the renewed pollution spike. Large-scale government infrastructure projects — including metro rail corridors, flyovers, coastal road extensions and road-widening works — continue to generate substantial amounts of dust. This is being compounded by aggressive private real estate development across the metropolitan region. Vehicular emissions during peak traffic hours are further intensifying the problem.

Several locations across Mumbai recorded alarmingly high readings. The Wadala Truck Terminal emerged as the worst-affected area, registering an AQI of 425, categorised as ‘hazardous’, a level that can seriously impact even healthy individuals.

Vashi and Bandra followed with AQI readings of 353 and 318 respectively, both in the ‘severe’ range. Chembur reported an AQI of 313, while Mazgaon, a densely populated commercial and residential hub, recorded 311.

Suburban areas showed marginally better conditions, though pollution remained widespread. Kandivali East logged an AQI of 170 and Goregaon East 190, both classified as ‘poor’. Borivali West recorded 110, Malad West 123 and Parel-Bhoiwada 127, indicating that even traditionally less-polluted pockets were not spared.

For context, AQI levels between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51–100 ‘moderate’, 101–150 ‘poor’, 151–200 ‘unhealthy’, and anything above 200 ‘hazardous’. With large swathes of Mumbai hovering at or beyond unhealthy thresholds, public health experts warn that the situation could worsen as winter advances, a period typically associated with more frequent and persistent pollution episodes.