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Mumbai Air Quality 2024: 27 Stations, 8,187 Readings, One Ugly Truth
TL;DR
A data-driven analysis of Mumbai's air quality across all 27 CPCB monitoring stations using 8,187 daily AQI readings from 2024. Worli recorded the worst annual average AQI of 148, while Borivali East (MPCB) was cleanest at 62. Mumbai's winter months (Nov-Dec) averaged 155 AQI compared to monsoon months (Jun-Sep) at 47, a 3.3x seasonal swing. November 2 saw the worst citywide average of 211. The data also shows Mumbai getting worse over 2018-2022 before improving in 2024, and the gap with Delhi narrowing from 115 points in 2018 to 117 in 2024.
- That was Mumbai's average AQI in August 2024. Clean enough to take a deep breath and actually enjoy it. Four months later, in November, the citywide average hit 154. Navy Nagar in Colaba peaked at 323. The same city, same monitors, completely different air.
Mumbai gets a pass in the national pollution conversation. "At least it's not Delhi" is practically a coping mechanism for 2 crore residents. And sure, Delhi averaged 210 in 2024. Mumbai managed 93. But that average hides a city where Worli's air is 2.4x worse than Borivali's, where November brings air quality that would be classified "Poor" anywhere in the world, and where the trend from 2018 to 2022 was going the wrong direction.
We crunched 8,187 daily AQI readings from 27 CPCB monitoring stations across Mumbai for 2024. This is what the data actually shows.
Mumbai's 2024 AQI: Month by Month
The monsoon scrubs Mumbai's air like nothing else in India. From June through September, the Western Ghats funnel moisture-laden winds across the city and average AQI drops to 47. That is genuinely "Good" air by Indian standards and not far from WHO guidelines.
Then October arrives. Construction sites restart, traffic picks back up after the rain, and the atmospheric mixing height drops as temperatures cool. By November, the average AQI has more than tripled.
| Month | Avg AQI | Category | Readings | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 117 | Moderate | 726 | 308 |
| February | 122 | Moderate | 670 | 313 |
| March | 101 | Moderate | 683 | 300 |
| April | 100 | Satisfactory | 676 | 296 |
| May | 81 | Satisfactory | 653 | 271 |
| June | 54 | Satisfactory | 685 | 266 |
| July | 45 | Good | 703 | 357 |
| August | 42 | Good | 664 | 187 |
| September | 46 | Good | 606 | 171 |
| October | 85 | Satisfactory | 694 | 314 |
| November | 154 | Moderate | 698 | 326 |
| December | 155 | Moderate | 729 | 323 |
The winter-to-monsoon ratio for 2024 was 3.3x. Every year since 2019, this ratio has held between 2.8x and 3.7x. Mumbai does not have a pollution "season." It has two completely different cities packed into one calendar year.
September deserves special attention. It is the only month where no station across Mumbai recorded AQI above 171. In November, 17% of all readings crossed 200.
Which Neighbourhood Has the Worst Air? All 27 Stations Ranked
Not all parts of Mumbai breathe the same air. The gap between the worst and best station in 2024 was 86 AQI points. That is the difference between "Moderate" and "Satisfactory" category as a yearly average.
| Rank | Station | Avg AQI | Category | Max AQI | "Good" Days (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Worli (Siddharth Nagar) | 148 | Moderate | 310 | 7 (3.4%) |
| 2 | Mazgaon | 127 | Moderate | 288 | 30 (11.9%) |
| 3 | Navy Nagar, Colaba | 120 | Moderate | 323 | 35 (11.1%) |
| 4 | Borivali East (IITM) | 116 | Moderate | 308 | 14 (4.7%) |
| 5 | BKC | 114 | Moderate | 284 | 39 (11.7%) |
| 6 | Andheri East (Chakala) | 107 | Moderate | 245 | 26 (14.4%) |
| 7 | Shivaji Nagar | 105 | Moderate | 306 | 32 (14.8%) |
| 8 | Chembur | 98 | Satisfactory | 313 | 106 (31.6%) |
| 9 | Bandra East (Kherwadi) | 97 | Satisfactory | 283 | 81 (23.7%) |
| 10 | Deonar | 97 | Satisfactory | 297 | 74 (37.9%) |
| 11 | Malad West (IITM) | 96 | Satisfactory | 308 | 112 (47.7%) |
| 12 | Sewri | 95 | Satisfactory | 326 | 86 (29.9%) |
| 13 | Kandivali East | 94 | Satisfactory | 247 | 72 (21.4%) |
| 14 | Sion | 93 | Satisfactory | 357 | 77 (21.9%) |
| 15 | Vasai West | 90 | Satisfactory | 219 | 64 (19.3%) |
| 16 | Kurla | 90 | Satisfactory | 204 | 60 (18.2%) |
| 17 | Vile Parle West | 88 | Satisfactory | 218 | 64 (21.5%) |
| 18 | Airport T2 | 87 | Satisfactory | 192 | 65 (18.7%) |
| 19 | Byculla | 85 | Satisfactory | 306 | 159 (45.8%) |
| 20 | Mulund West | 84 | Satisfactory | 252 | 83 (24.0%) |
| 21 | Ghatkopar | 82 | Satisfactory | 306 | 144 (42.5%) |
| 22 | Powai | 80 | Satisfactory | 258 | 116 (33.2%) |
| 23 | Malad West (Mindspace) | 78 | Satisfactory | 260 | 141 (43.1%) |
| 24 | Kandivali West | 77 | Satisfactory | 304 | 161 (52.3%) |
| 25 | Colaba (MPCB) | 74 | Satisfactory | 207 | 104 (30.9%) |
| 26 | Bhandup West | 72 | Satisfactory | 300 | 121 (37.1%) |
| 27 | Borivali East (MPCB) | 62 | Satisfactory | 304 | 149 (46.7%) |
Worli stands out. Average AQI of 148, only 7 "Good" days in the entire year. That is 3.4% of monitored days. The station sits next to the Worli-Sealink approach, one of the busiest corridors in South Mumbai, surrounded by construction for the Coastal Road project and multiple high-rise developments. Two-thirds of its readings (66%) were above AQI 100.
Navy Nagar in Colaba is a surprise at rank 3. It recorded the highest single-day reading across all Mumbai stations: 323 on December 18. This coastal military area is downwind of the Mumbai Port Trust and shipping lanes. Port emissions, often overlooked, can spike PM2.5 sharply when wind patterns trap exhaust near the shore.
The cleanest station? Borivali East (MPCB), averaging just 62. Its proximity to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Asia's largest urban forest, likely helps. Nearly half its days (47%) recorded "Good" AQI.
The Worli Problem: Mumbai's Most Polluted Spot
Worli deserves a deeper look because it is not just the worst station. It is also an anomaly.
| Metric | Worli | Mumbai Avg | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Avg AQI | 148 | 93 | 1.6x |
| "Good" AQI days | 7 | 82 | 0.09x |
| Days above AQI 100 | 135 | 114 | 1.2x |
| November average | 191 | 152 | 1.3x |
| Best month (Aug) avg | 76 | 44 | 1.7x |
Even in August, the monsoon's peak, Worli averaged 76 AQI. That is higher than what Mumbai as a city averages over the full year (93). The station never gets a clean break.
Why? Three things converging in one spot. The Bandra-Worli Sea Link handles 40,000+ vehicles daily. The Coastal Road construction, India's most expensive urban road project at over Rs 12,000 crore, has been churning concrete and dust for years. And the Worli Koliwada fishing village reclamation zone traps emissions against the seafront.
This is worth knowing if you live in Lower Parel, Prabhadevi, or Worli. Your air is measurably different from someone in Powai (avg 80) or Bhandup (avg 72).
November 2: The Worst Day of 2024
On November 2, 2024, the day after Diwali, Mumbai's citywide average hit 211 AQI. That is "Poor" across 24 reporting stations simultaneously.
| Date | City Avg AQI | Category | Stations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2 | 211 | Poor | 24 |
| Nov 24 | 204 | Poor | 22 |
| Nov 23 | 190 | Moderate | 24 |
| Nov 25 | 184 | Moderate | 23 |
| Nov 17 | 181 | Moderate | 22 |
| Nov 22 | 170 | Moderate | 22 |
Sewri hit 326 that day. Navy Nagar reached 317 on November 3. The post-Diwali spike is not unique to Delhi. Mumbai's firework emissions, combined with already weak atmospheric dispersion in early November, create a toxic 48-hour window.
What makes it worse: November 2024 was not an outlier. The winter AQI pattern has been consistent every year since data collection began. The monsoon-to-winter ratio in 2020 was an even sharper 3.7x. Mumbai's seasonal swing is one of the most dramatic of any Indian city.
How Mumbai Compares to Delhi: The 7-Year Trend
"At least it's not Delhi." The data backs this up, but the trend is less comforting than you might expect.
| Year | Mumbai Avg AQI | Delhi Avg AQI | Gap | Mumbai Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 113 | 228 | 115 | 279 |
| 2019 | 93 | 215 | 122 | 1,757 |
| 2020 | 106 | 190 | 84 | 2,994 |
| 2021 | 115 | 212 | 97 | 6,206 |
| 2022 | 125 | 212 | 87 | 5,466 |
| 2024 | 93 | 210 | 117 | 8,187 |
Two things jump out. First, Mumbai's 2024 reading of 93 is the best since 2019. That is encouraging.
Second, the 2018-to-2022 trend was ugly. Mumbai's average climbed from 113 to 125 over four years. Navi Mumbai tells the same story even more sharply: its average went from 98 in 2018 to 139 in 2022 before dropping to 107 in 2024.
The 2024 improvement is real, but one year does not make a trend. The monitoring network also expanded massively, from 3 stations in 2016 to 27 in 2024, which changes the sample. More stations in cleaner suburbs pull the average down.
Delhi, meanwhile, has been remarkably stable in the 208-228 range since 2018 despite all the policy interventions, GRAP stages, odd-even schemes, and construction bans. The gap between the two cities has hovered around 85-122 AQI points for seven years.
What the AQI Categories Actually Look Like in Mumbai
Here is how Mumbai's 8,187 readings from 2024 break down by category:
| Category | Readings | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Good (0-50) | 2,222 | 27.1% |
| Satisfactory (51-100) | 2,800 | 34.2% |
| Moderate (101-200) | 2,747 | 33.6% |
| Poor (201-300) | 378 | 4.6% |
| Very Poor (301-400) | 40 | 0.5% |
61% of all readings fell in "Good" or "Satisfactory." That sounds encouraging until you note that 39% were "Moderate" or worse. And the 0.5% in "Very Poor" (40 readings) represents stations hitting AQI 300+, levels that are genuinely hazardous. Those readings clustered almost entirely in November and December.
Zero readings hit "Severe" (400+). For reference, Delhi logged 1,200+ "Severe" readings in 2024. But "Very Poor" at AQI 300+ is already dangerous enough. At that level, everyone, not just sensitive groups, should limit outdoor exposure.
The Navi Mumbai Warning Sign
Navi Mumbai's pollution trajectory should worry urban planners.
| Year | Navi Mumbai Avg | Mumbai Avg | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 78 | 90 | 12 |
| 2018 | 98 | 113 | 15 |
| 2020 | 126 | 106 | -20 |
| 2021 | 135 | 115 | -20 |
| 2022 | 139 | 125 | -14 |
| 2024 | 107 | 93 | -14 |
From 2020 onwards, Navi Mumbai has been *more polluted* than Mumbai proper. A satellite city built to decongest Mumbai now has worse air quality. The reasons: Navi Mumbai International Airport construction, the Taloja and TTC MIDC industrial belts, massive township developments, and heavy truck traffic on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
The 2024 improvement mirrors Mumbai's and likely reflects the same factors - better monsoon coverage and expanded monitoring. But the structural pollution drivers remain.
What This Means If You Live in Mumbai
Mumbai's air is not "fine." It is just less terrible than Delhi's, and that low bar has become an excuse to not take it seriously.
The numbers that should concern you:
- Worli residents breathe "Moderate" to "Poor" air for two-thirds of the year
- November 2 hit 211 AQI citywide. That is worse than Delhi's best winter day.
- The 2018-2022 upward trend suggests structural worsening that one good year does not erase
- Navi Mumbai, supposed to be a cleaner alternative, now has worse air than Mumbai proper
If you are looking at the data as a Mumbaikar:
- Run outdoor workouts before 7 AM or during monsoon months (June-September, avg AQI 49)
- If you live near Worli, Mazgaon, or Navy Nagar, an air purifier is not optional in winter
- Track your nearest station on Mumbai's AQI page, not just the citywide average
- November and December are your danger months. AQI nearly doubles from October to November.
For the full Delhi comparison, see our station-by-station Delhi ranking. And for understanding what these AQI numbers mean for your health, check our PM2.5 guide.
*Data: 8,187 daily AQI readings from 27 CPCB monitoring stations in Mumbai, January-December 2024. Analysis by AQI Now. Check live Mumbai AQI.*
Frequently Asked Questions
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