Mumbaikars have lived under the assumption that the sea breeze is going to save them from pollution and that their air quality is never going to be discussed in the same strained breath as the notorious air over Delhi. But the last few weeks should have shattered this myth, with an oppressive October heat and pollution that rendered the air unbreathable.
The air circulation that determines the temperature, humidity, and air quality over Mumbai portends some bad news. Warming over the Middle East and the northern Arabian Sea is causing changes in the wind in the pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons. Recent increases in the number of pre-monsoon heat waves and heavy rain spells during the summer monsoon in addition to the October heat and pollution, point to changes forced from far away that are here to stay.
Such remote drivers of local air quality and heat will require careful urban adaptations in the coming years.
