Parts of Maharashtra continue to suffer low visibility due to the after-effects of last week’s major sandstorm in the Gulf region.
The effects of the ‘haboob’ (Arabic for intense dust storm) will be felt in the State for the next 48 hours, say meteorologists. The north coastal and north western parts, which include Mumbai and Nashik, were hit hard on Sunday when visibility was markedly affected.
“The haze seen over Mumbai, Pune and Nashik is the residual element of the Gulf sandstorm which has now crossed the Arabian Sea,” said Dr. Gufran Beig, senior scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM).
Dr. Beig, project director of the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), said that the particulate matter in the air was likely to increase in the next two days.
Air quality is monitored by measuring the presence of particulate matter (PM) in air. PM10 refers to particles that are 10 micrometres (less than the width of a human hair) in diameter or less. Finer particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter are classified under PM2.5.
It is feared that the PM10 levels in the air over Maharashtra may shoot up to 200 micrograms per cubic metre of air in the next two days. PM10 levels in Mumbai and Pune were about 70 micrograms per cubic metre of air on Sunday.
The phenomenon has alarmed physicians who are worried that the pollution may trigger asthma attacks and set off respiratory ailments.
This article has been edited for factual errors. The errors are regretted.
