Mumbai’s air quality has undergone a huge improvement. The city's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) dropped to 93, which falls under the "moderate" category. Sixteen out of 23 monitoring stations recorded an AQI below 100. Colaba reported the best air quality in the city, with an AQI of 47, classified as "good."
A study by the Waatavaran Foundation analysed Mumbai’s air quality trends from 2020 to 2025. The findings showed a steady improvement in air quality, especially during winter. In 2021, only 16% of winter days had good or satisfactory air quality. By January 2025, this figure had risen to 56%. This marked a 40% increase in the number of cleaner air days.
The study focused on PM2.5 pollution. It revealed that days with moderate air quality ranged between 31% and 33% of the time. The total air quality doubled over the five-year period. In 2020, only 9% of days had good air quality, but by 2025, this figure had increased to 18%.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), AQI levels between 0 and 50 are considered good, while 51 to 100 are satisfactory. An AQI between 101 and 200 is moderate, 201 to 300 is poor, 301 to 400 is very poor, and any reading above 400 is severe.
The study also found a sharp decline in the number of poor and very poor air quality days. The percentage of poor air quality days fell from 18% to 7%. The percentage of very poor air quality days dropped from 14% to just 2%.
In a report by Indian Express, Mohsinkhan Pathan, senior project associate at the Waatavaran Foundation, stated that increasing awareness and sustained pollution control measures contributed to the improvement. He also talked about the need to maintain and further improve air quality in the future.
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