Mumbai air 95% cleaner than Delhi despite the massive garbage fire

In late January Mumbai’s eastern edge witnessed a garbage fire so huge that it could be seen from space. The smoke produced from the fire was intense enough to shut down schools. It seems that Mumbai’s air quality is bad and could become a major environmental hazard. But here is the twist in this scenario. The air quality of Mumbai is 95% better than Delhi, even after such massive fire.

The average PM 2.5 level of Delhi was 293.3 μg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter of air), and the average PM 2.5 level of Mumbai was 150.5 μg/m3which is 95% better than Delhi. The data is collected between January 28 and February 1, 2016.

The PM 2.5 level of Delhi is tagged as ‘poor’ whereas the same levels for Mumbai were tagged as ‘moderate’. This would mean mild discomfort for the people with asthma in Mumbai whereas healthy and fit Delhi-ites would start having breathing discomfort if exposed to this air for longer time.

PM 2.5 - PM 2.5 are fine particulate matter found in the air with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less and are known to pose the greatest risk to human beings. World Health Organization states that their measurement is considered to be the best indicator of the health risks from air pollution.

The fire broke out in Mumbai’s Chembur area. A week before the incident happened the PM 2.5 levels of Chembur was recored at 116.9 μg/m3. During the week of the fire the PM 2.5 levels were 174.5 μg/m3.

The alarming thing is the condition of Chembur, which forced their schools to shut down, is still 59% better than the current scenario of Delhi. It is appalling to see the capital in such a slow burning turmoil and hardly any major steps have been taken by the government. Yes, the success of Odd-Even formula to curb the pollution did some, but to avoid 30,000 premature deaths in 2025, we, the citizens of Delhi and government, must take steps to make a sizeable change.

Main Image Credit: Facebook/NASA