Mumbai: Residents across the city woke up to a cold and hazy Sunday morning on February 1, 2026, as several parts of Mumbai were blanketed in smog, significantly reducing visibility and reigniting concerns over the city’s worsening air pollution problem, which has persisted since the onset of winter.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast mainly clear skies for the day, with temperatures expected to hover between 21°C and 31°C. While the temperature range has remained largely stable over the past week, air quality levels have shown sharp fluctuations, raising serious public health concerns.

Raising AQI Concerns

According to data from AQI.in, Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 308 on Sunday morning, placing it firmly in the ‘Severe’ category. This marks a steep deterioration from the previous evening, when the AQI had dropped to 184 (‘Poor’) around 6.30 pm, offering brief respite to residents.

The sudden spike is being attributed largely to ongoing redevelopment and construction activities across the city. Dust generated at multiple construction sites has accumulated in the atmosphere, forming a dense layer of particulate matter that continues to hover over Mumbai, especially during the early morning hours when wind movement remains minimal.

Sindhi Society AQI Crosses 400 Mark

Several pockets of the city recorded ‘severe’ air quality levels, with Sindhi Society emerging as the worst-affected area. The locality recorded an AQI of 428, categorised as ‘Hazardous’, posing a serious risk to public health. Close behind were Kannamwar Nagar II (374), B S Ambedkar Nagar (366), Yagna Nagar (360) and Swastik Park (358), all of which also fell in the ‘Severe’ category.

In contrast, a few areas reported comparatively cleaner air. Gamdevi Station 1 recorded an AQI of 38, placing it in the ‘Good’ category. Other locations such as Reserve Bank of India Staff Quarters Station 2 (83 – Moderate), Thakur Village (230 – Unhealthy), Colaba (237 – Unhealthy) and Mazgaon (257 – Unhealthy) showed varying levels of air quality, though still above safe limits in several cases.

As per standard air quality classifications, AQI values between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘moderate’, 101 to 200 ‘poor’, 201 to 300 ‘unhealthy’ and levels above 300 are classified as ‘severe’ or ‘hazardous’.

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