TATA Mumbai Marathon 2025: Air turns foul for marathoners!

As marathoners race ahead on Sunday, a hazy Worli skyline looms in the background. Pic/Anurag Ahire

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) deployed eight mobile air quality monitoring vans along the Mumbai Marathon route after Awaaz Foundation flagged unsafe PM2.5 levels ahead of the event on Friday. However, the MPCB has yet to release air quality data recorded during the marathon.

In a press statement on Saturday, MPCB noted that sensor-based monitors, like those used by Awaaz Foundation, provide only indicative data and do not meet Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) standards. It further stated that data collected by Awaaz Foundation on January 17 might not accurately represent conditions during the marathon on January 19. Regulatory-grade monitoring, accounting for real-time and event-specific factors, was assured by the Board.

To safeguard marathon participants, MPCB directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to halt road sweeping, ensure route cleanliness, and enforce dust control measures at construction sites. Mobile monitoring vans were deployed at 6 pm on January 18 to assess air quality. Despite these measures, no official air quality data had been made public as of press time.

Sumaira Abdulali, founder of Awaaz Foundation, pointed to concerning PM2.5 levels leading up to the event. "On January 18, MPCB vans at Worli and CSMT recorded PM2.5 levels between 73.23 and 111.9 µg/m³ until 2.30 pm. At 5 am on marathon day, the SAMEER app showed PM2.5 levels ranging from 129 to 245 µg/m³ along the route, all exceeding safety limits," she said.

MPCB officials stated the data was still under review and would be released soon. By Sunday afternoon, the air quality across Mumbai, including Chembur, BKC, Byculla, and Deonar, deteriorated further, moving from moderate to poor levels.