Mumbai: Mumbai witnessed a cool start to Saturday, with clear skies, mild winter winds and relatively low humidity offering residents a welcome break from the city’s usual heat. However, the relief was short-lived as a noticeable blanket of smog gradually spread across the skyline, reducing visibility and once again drawing attention to Mumbai’s worsening air pollution problem.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast a largely comfortable day for the financial capital, predicting bright weather conditions with temperatures expected to range between 18°C and 33°C. While the weather remained favourable, deteriorating air quality quickly emerged as the city’s main concern, overshadowing the pleasant morning.

According to data from air quality monitoring platform AQI.in, Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 128 in the early hours, placing it in the ‘poor’ category. Though this reflected a marginal improvement compared to the hazardous levels recorded in late November and early December, the air continued to pose health risks.

Multiple factors are contributing to Mumbai’s declining air quality. Large-scale infrastructure projects, including metro rail corridors, flyover construction, coastal road extensions and extensive road-widening work, are ongoing across the city. These activities have significantly increased dust emissions. Additionally, aggressive private real estate development and rising vehicular pollution during peak traffic hours have further worsened air conditions, especially along major arterial roads and busy junctions.

Several parts of the city emerged as pollution hotspots on Saturday. The Wadala Truck Terminal recorded an alarming AQI of 293, while Chembur reported an AQI of 230, both categorised as ‘unhealthy’ and capable of affecting even healthy individuals. Colaba registered an AQI of 190, placing it in the ‘poor’ category. Malad and Deonar followed closely, recording AQI levels of 187 and 180 respectively.

Suburban areas showed relatively better air quality but remained far from safe. Govandi recorded an AQI of 68, while Andheri West and Jogeshwari reported readings of 72 and 73, all falling under the ‘moderate’ category. However, other western suburbs such as Kandivali East and Goregaon slipped back into the ‘moderate’ zone, with AQI levels of 75 and 78.

For reference, AQI values between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51–100 ‘moderate’, 101–150 ‘poor’, 151–200 ‘unhealthy’, and readings above 200 are deemed ‘hazardous’. With pollution levels fluctuating despite favourable weather, experts stress the need for stricter dust control measures and sustainable traffic management to prevent further deterioration of Mumbai’s air quality.

Mumbai: After the Babri Masjid, now it is Kashi Mathura’s turn, the slogan and provocation has been given by Dhirendra Shastri Bageshwar Dham Baba here in Mumbai. While answering the question of journalists in Andheri, Bageshwar Dham said that the temple is ours and we cannot give it up. When Baba was asked that the dispute had ended after the Babri Masjid, then why is the process of finding temples in mosques going on, to which he said that there are temples in many places and the dispute here is old. On Hindu Rashtra, Bageshwar Dham made it clear that there is also room for Muslims in Hindu Rashtra, his aim is to strengthen Sanatan, while a pilgrimage for Hindu Rashtra will start in Maharashtra to promote Hindutva. He said that it is wrong to declare India a secular country because India has never been secular. He said that there is a need for brotherhood and unity in this country and for that he goes on pilgrimage. Baba, while spewing venom, said that if efforts are not made for Hindu Rashtra and Hindus are not united, then the time is not far when the invasion of India will take place. He said that highly educated doctors in the country are becoming terrorists. If there is a Hindu Rashtra, then a Muslim youth will become Abdul Kalam. Will the mayor of Mumbai be a Muslim or a Hindu? On this, Bageshwar Dham said that he is away from politics, so a candidate should be selected who is useful for the people.

Mumbai: (Press release)The Aam Aadmi Party today announced its decision to contest the upcoming BMC General Elections 2026, on its own strength. The youngest national party, ruled out any possibility of an alliance and stated that they will field AAP candidates on all 227 wards.

“Despite being India’s ‘Urbs Prima’, Mumbai is in a mess. BMC has a whopping Rs. 74,447 Crore annual budget- the largest in Asia. Mumbaikars pay the highest taxes in the country and yet get shoddy public services.

The BMC is a cesspool of corruption and monumental ineptitude. BMC schools are shutting down and education quality remains poor, primary health care centres are non-existent, hospitals are overburdened and BEST is being systematically killed and it’s bus fleet has been starkly declining.Some of the world’s most expensive real estate is surrounded by squalor.

Garbage disposal is poor and filth is lying all around and our ecology has degraded with tree cover rapidly depleting. Pollution is at an all time high, Our AQI levels are as high as Delhi, despite us being on the coast and we are the only city in the world which releases untreated sewage in the open sea.

In the name of Dharavi Redevelopment, we are witnessing the biggest land grab in the history of independent India. For the last 4 years, the BMC has been without public representation and our once 90,000 Crore Fixed Deposits, have fallen sharply and reached its nadir.

All of this is nothing but ‘avoidable suffering’ inflicted on Mumbaikars, by a lumpen political class. Every political party has looted Mumbai, prioritising their selfish interests over public good. “, said Preeti Sharma Menon, Mumbai President, Aam Aadmi Party.

“The AAP is not just the alternative but the solution. Few good people in the BMC, is what Mumbai desperately needs. We know how to fix governance, under Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann’s leadership, we have done so in Delhi and Punjab, provided world class education, healthcare, water and electricity, without corruption and without debt.

We need the broom, to sweep the corrupt and inept away. With just 7 corporators, AAP will have a house leader and representation on all statutory committees (Standing, Improvement, Health, Education and BEST). When we last contested in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, we got 5.16% of the vote share and over 2,73,000 votes. We will better this feat this time round and are getting tremendous support on the ground.

Mumbai needs AAP. We are India’s youngest National party and will contest on all of Mumbai’s 227 seats on our own strength.”, said Sanjay Singh, MP, Aam Aadmi Party.