Among the worst affected are Deonar and Chembur areas in Central Mumbai.
A sharp increase in pollution and a thick layer of smog that has enveloped Central and Southern Mumbai for the third consecutive day has left Mumbaikars grappling with respiratory diseases.
"I already had problem breathing, over the last two days it has become worse," said Teli, a resident of Chembur in Central Mumbai.
On January 27, Mumbai recorded a moderate pollution of 115 with the Particulate Matter being 2.5. Over the last two days, there has been a drastic increase. On January 28, the level spiked to 255. On January 29 it soared to 272 mark and settled at 268 on January 30. Safe limits for PM 2.5 are below 50.
Among the worst affected are Deonar and Chembur areas.
Dr Kuntal Pal, a Pulmonologist in Chembur said, "Earlier, if there were 10-15 patients a day with respiratory illnesses, there have been at least 25 such patients over the last two days. This is enough to show how much the smog is affecting people."
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has shut 70 schools around Shivajinagar and Deonar area for two days.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted on Saturday, "Spoke to Mumbai Municipal Commissioner. He assured that no stone will be left unturned to control the smoke at Deonar, "
The reason for the sudden spike in pollution levels is due to a large fire at the Deonar garbage dumping ground on the city's eastern fringe, compounded by factors including a drop in temperature and vehicular pollution.
The Opposition and environmentalists have slammed the BMC's waste management techniques for this. "The BMC has been violating solid waste management rules for past 15 years. They need to start waste reduction at the source to solve this problem," said Rishi Agarwal, an environmentalist.