Overview
- Mumbai’s overall AQI reached 313 in the severe category on Feb 21, according to AQI.in, with Navy Nagar spiking to a hazardous 525 and several local hotspots exceeding 350.
- Conditions persisted into Feb 22 with AQI.in showing a citywide 298 in the unhealthy range and Chembur worst at 365, indicating continued smog across multiple neighborhoods.
- CPCB’s SAMEER app logged a lower citywide reading of 130 on Feb 20, yet Worli registered 256, prompting the BMC to recommend stop-work notices for 12 construction sites in the G-South Ward.
- Weather monitors attribute the spike to low wind speeds and temperature inversion trapping dust from large infrastructure works and vehicle exhaust near the surface.
- A pilot’s aerial photos of crop-residue fires in Maharashtra’s hinterland suggest regional biomass burning may also be contributing, though this remains based on eyewitness reports.