Mumbai Breathes 'Cleanest Air' Of 2020 With AQI At 22 Post Cyclone Nisarga

Mumbai's air quality index (AQI) stood at 22, falling under the “good” category. The agency claimed that this was the lowest for the year.

Commuters drive along Marine Drive as rain falls in Mumbai on June 4, 2020, the day after cyclone Nisarga's landfall in India's western coast. - At least three people were reported dead as coronavirus-hit Mumbai appeared to escape the worst of Cyclone Nisarga on June 3, the first severe storm to threaten India's financial capital in more than 70 years. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP)

Cyclone Nisarga made a thumping landfall at Shriwardhan-Dive Agar in Raigad district, hitting coastal Maharashtra with full fury on Wednesday afternoon. Though the incident claimed four lives and incurred destruction to various cities, Mumbai witnessed Wednesday to be the cleanest air day of 2020. ALSO READ: Maharashtra Minister Ashok Chavan Recovers From Coronavirus; Discharged From Mumbai Hospital Newspaper Hindustan Times quoted System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) in a report stating that Mumbai's air quality index (AQI) stood at 22, falling under the “good” category. The agency claimed that this was the lowest for the year. Elaborating in this regard, SAFAR further said that Mazgaon reported AQI of 4, which was the cleanest among all the areas. Meawhile, Malad and Borivli recorded an AQI of 43, which were the highest. "All 10 locations recorded “good” AQI values. An AQI of 15 was predicted for Thursday. Prior to Wednesday, the lowest AQI this year was recorded at 25 on May 23," the report stated. SAFAR director Gufran Beig told the publication that “The wind speed was 72 km/h on Wednesday in Mumbai which dispersed pollutants combined with intermittent showers that cleared the air”. The Weather forecast agency India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday reported that cyclone Nisarga blew in from the Arabian Sea, making landfall with super-speed wind of ranging between 120-140 kmph, at the coastal town, 40 km from Alibaug and roughly 95 km from Mumbai. As a preventive measure in the wake of cyclone, over 40,000 people living near sea coast in Mumbai were shifted to safer places as cyclone Nisarga made landfall. 10 sailors were rescued from a ship that was stranded off the Ratnagiri coast in Maharashtra due to high tide and heavy rains. Around 1,500 people were evacuated and shifted to sturdy shelter in Alibaug.