Mumbai woke up to a thick layer of smog across several parts of the city on Thursday, reducing visibility. Bollywood star Deepika Padukone raised serious concerns about the deteriorating air quality in Mumbai and urged authorities to take urgent action for the health of its citizens.
Deepika Padukone expresses concern over Mumbai's poor AQI
Taking to Instagram Stories, the actor shared a screenshot of the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) map, which showed alarming pollution levels across several parts of the metropolitan region. Expressing worry over the situation, Deepika wrote, “This city (& its children) are choking! How is this okay!?” She also tagged the city’s civic authorities, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and its health department, urging them to take immediate action.
Mumbai’s AQI has been recorded at 159, which falls under the ‘unhealthy’ air quality category.
Before Deepika, actors Saiyami Kher and Richa Chadha had also raised concerns about Mumbai’s deteriorating air quality. Saiyami wrote on Instagram, “I started running a decade ago. Every morning, I’d find myself on Carter Road, chasing the ocean breeze. That wind is what made me fall in love with this city and running. I want to feel it again. And dystopian as it is, I put on a mask before lacing my shoes. It took me back to the pandemic. Except there’s no virus in the air endangering our life. The air itself could kill us.”
Richa, meanwhile, called the poor AQI a “manmade tragedy” and expressed disappointment over the lack of prominent voices speaking up about the issue. Mumbai’s AQI levels have been concerning since February.
