'My lungs have adapted, it's fine': Vir Das quips on Mumbai's deteriorating air

MUMBAI: “I'm not gonna cough at this point, my lungs have adapted, it's fine. Oh, you think this is the outside? No, this is what's happening inside you,” actor and stand-up star Vir Das said in an Instagram video, commenting on Mumbai’s deteriorating air quality. The clip, filmed in his living room, featured a smoke filter and a text overlay reading: “Morning from Mumbai.”Mumbai this week was covered with a thick blanket of smog. The city is slowly slipping deep into the ‘very poor’ air category.Two areas—Malad West (308 AQI) and Borivli East (303)—slipped into the ‘very poor’ air quality zone as the city’s average AQI rose to 198 from 172 the previous day, approaching the ‘poor’ range.Nerul recorded the third-highest pollution in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region at 292 AQI, followed by Mazgaon at 275. Other highly polluted areas included Mulund (263), Powai (248), and Navy Nagar in Colaba (245). Sion remained the cleanest locality for the second consecutive day, with an AQI of 72, rated ‘satisfactory’.Officials said local activities, traffic congestion, and wind movement contributed to the variation in pollution levels across the city.