Mumbai records 'cleanest Diwali air' in five years on Sunday, Delhi sees spike in pollution levels

Diwali was celebrated across the country on Sunday while authorities kept a close eye on pollution levels due to firecrackers in major cities. Mumbai recorded its “cleanest Diwali air” in five years even as Delhi saw a spike in air pollution on Sunday, according to reports. [caption id=“attachment_7561701” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] People celebrating Diwali. AP[/caption] Quoting information released by the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), a report said that the air quality index (AQI) in Mumbai on Sunday for PM 2.5 (particulate matter which can settle in the lungs and cause health ailments) was 30 (good) in the daytime, which then became 87 (satisfactory) by Sunday evening. “An AQI of 118 (moderate) has been predicted for Monday, 70 (satisfactory) for Tuesday, and 76 (satisfactory) for Wednesday,” Hindustan Times reported. While the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Malad areas in Mumbai were predicted to have the worst air quality on Sunday, reports said that Cyclone Karr and light rainfall helped keep the pollution in the air at a minimal level. “Cyclone Kyarr has managed to keep air pollution levels to its lowest for the west coast, and of the four cities where SAFAR records air quality, Pune followed by Mumbai were the cleanest, while ‘moderate’ pollution was witnessed in Ahmedabad, and ‘very poor’ levels in Delhi during Diwali,” Gufran Beig, project director of SAFAR, was quoted as saying by the report. With inputs from agencies