BMC begins washing Mumbai roads to reduce dust pollution

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will deploy 121 water tankers and an additional workforce to clean and wash roads of the metropolis amid increasing air pollution in the city.Speaking to the media, additional municipal commissioner (Western Suburbs) Dr Sudhakar Shinde said that non-potable water will be used to clean and wash the 650-kilometre-long road network of the city.

He further added that anti-smog guns have already been deployed to reduce the amount of dust particles in the air.The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will also be informed about cleaning the toll plaza, Shinde added. He also highlighted that the civic body's solid waste department is also carrying out a special cleaning of roads and footpaths daily. Speaking about the civic body's plans, Deputy Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) Chanda Jadhav said, "The roads and footpaths on which cleaning needs to be taken have been selected by the department itself. More attention has been directed towards roads and footpaths with traffic congestion."

"A detailed plan is being prepared for the materials and plants required for cleaning the roads etc. It includes the number of water tankers, the frequency of each tanker round and the nearest source of recycled water supply," she added.Jadhav further said that the cleaning tasks will be carried out during off-peak hours, especially between 3 am and 6 am, to minimise any inconvenience to people.Notably, residents of Mumbai have been witnessing a rising Air Quality Index (AQI) in the city for the past few days.