Mumbai: Pollution levels up, MPCB steps in to 'clear the dust'

MUMBAI: Air quality levels dipped to 'very poor' in and around Mumbai on Tuesday with the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) recording PM10 (particulate matter of 10 microns and less) levels of 344 in Bandra-Kurla Complex and 300 even in Navi Mumbai.
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The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has called a meeting of all stakeholders on Wednesday to discuss implementation and monitoring of ambient air quality.
Nearly a year after the Centre directed implementation of dust mitigation measures, the MPCB has made them mandatory for 17 cities in the state, including Mumbai. The dust mitigation measures were included in the Environment Protection Act to tackle air pollution.
Despite being on the coast, Mumbai's air quality is abysmal. The dust mitigation measures, mandated for all construction and demolition activities in projects requiring environment clearance, include paving and blacktopping of roads leading to construction sites. Besides, no excavation of soil can be carried out without adequate dust mitigation measures, no loose soil or sand should be left uncovered. Wind breaker of at least one-third the height of the building must be provided and water sprinklers installed. Further, rules require these measures to be prominently displayed at the construction site.
In case of construction and demolition works that do not require environment clearance, grinding and cutting of building materials in the open is prohibited and storage of building material on the roadsides has also been prohibited.
Bhagwan Keshbat, founder member of the NGO Watavaran said MPCB in its Mumbai Clean Air Action Plan had clearly shown that industries in Mumbai contributed 33% to the air pollution in the city.
"The dust mitigation measures are a good move given the poor air quality all around. Desertification is on the rise in Marathwada, Vidarbha and Western Maharashtra. In fact, Akola is heavily impacted by dust pollution," he said.
Keshbat said the BMC had released dust mitigation rules in 2016, but had never ensured implementation. He said Mumbai needs several air quality monitoring stations and the BMC must invest in recording air quality.
"It is time the government makes available data on air quality so that people know what kind of air they breathe just as they are aware of the quality of water they consume," he said.