Fog or Smog? Twitter debates why Mumbai turned into Delhi

This photo was tweeted by @iRomin

A dense blanket of fog enveloped Mumbai on Saturday morning leading to a drop in visibility. While several local trains were running late, the skyline of the Maximum City resembled that of Delhi - a city infamous for being greyed out due to pollution.

While fog is common in several north Indian cities in the winter months, Mumbai usually stays pleasant under bright sunshine. Saturday was a different tale though and many questioned if their city had turned into Delhi.

Bombay we’re f*cked. Adding Delhi and Mumbai air quality levels side by side to compare. Smog not fog pic.twitter.com/BK64ni4p1y — Pearl Shah (@PearlShah) December 9, 2017

#Mumbai has a #SMOG problem.. at 10 am and 28deg Centigrade! This is not fog for sure. Heading the #Delhi way?? pic.twitter.com/VRpWvVLVNO — Kshama (@KshamaKothari) December 9, 2017

Don’t romanticise the Mumbai weather this morning by calling it mist or fog. The right word for it is 'SMOG'. Ask your throat, it won’t lie.#justthese — Shiva Jhawar (@ishivajhawar) December 9, 2017

Can someone tell me is Mumbai covered with a #Smog blanket?
We are not a Fog city so whats with this white cover we are experiencing? — Ashim Sen (@aashimsen) December 9, 2017

Hi Mumbai! Welcome to Delhi. We are all in this together. Breathe easy, stay safe. #MumbaiSmog #MumbaiFog — Rituparna Sarkar (@RituSarkar06) December 9, 2017

Pollution level in Delhi had skyrocketed in the last week of October and had remains alarmingly high for most of November. Even the Sri Lankan cricket team had trouble playing a Test match against India at the Feroze Shah Kotla earlier this week.

awaiting Sri Lankan cricketers here in Mumbai to clear the confusion of #fog or #smog pic.twitter.com/F3IUvFYmdn — Md Hizbullah (@bombaynight) December 9, 2017

Environmental experts say that Mumbai usually fares better than land-locked Delhi on the pollution front primarily because of sea breeze from the Arabian Sea. The recent incident of fog though has led many to question the why.