Archive · 3 Oct 2026
Mumbai Air Quality Turns Moderate as Rainfall Weakens
Mumbai’s air became less clean on Friday, and a haze covered the skyline.
The city’s AQI reached 111, which is in the moderate range.
This was the first time it went above 100 this post-monsoon season.
Ten of the 20 air-monitoring stations reported moderate air quality.
Worli had the highest reading, at 178.
Rain had helped clear dust and pollution from the air in earlier months.
Experts said less rain, drier weather and changing winds were helping pollution rise.
Mumbai’s overall AQI reached 111 by Friday afternoon, crossing 100 for the first time this post-monsoon season.
Ten of the city’s 20 active monitoring stations recorded moderate air quality, according to CPCB data.
Worli recorded the highest AQI at 178, followed by Colaba at 143, Deonar at 141 and Mazgaon at 138.
PM2.5 and PM10 were among the prominent pollutants recorded at monitoring stations.
Experts attributed the rise to weakening rainfall, drier conditions and changing wind patterns after months of generally satisfactory readings.
- Who
- Mumbai and its air-monitoring stations; experts commented on the causes of the rise.
- What
- The city’s overall AQI reached 111, entering the moderate range.
- When
- Friday afternoon; the article does not specify a calendar date.
- Where
- Mumbai, India.
- Why
- Experts said weakening rainfall, drier conditions and changing wind patterns contributed to the increase.
Recent rain and air quality
Conditions behind the rise
What changed
Recent rain and air quality
Frequent rain over the previous four months helped wash dust and suspended pollutants from the air, keeping AQI generally below 100.
Conditions behind the rise
As rainfall weakened, drier conditions and changing wind patterns contributed to higher pollution readings.
- Overall AQI
- 111 by Friday afternoon
- Monitoring stations
- 10 of 20 active stations recorded moderate air quality
- Highest station reading
- Worli: 178
- Other high readings
- Colaba: 143; Deonar: 141; Mazgaon: 138
- Prominent pollutants
- PM2.5 and PM10
- CPCB AQI categories
- 0–50 good; 51–100 satisfactory; 101–200 moderate; 201–300 poor; 301–400 very poor; above 400 severe
- Recent trend
- AQI generally stayed below 100 from June through September, when frequent rain helped clear dust and suspended pollutants.