Mumbai's air quality worsens, BMC releases guidelines

With the city’s average air quality deteriorating for a week, BMC has issued new air quality guidelines. According to a senior state official this follows a call from the Prime Minister’s Office to CM Eknath Shinde asking him to take steps to prevent pollution in Mumbai.The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a warning on October 21 that it would halt construction activities at all sites if dust and pollution control measures were not being implemented in response to deteriorating air quality in Mumbai. The BMC release mentioned that standard operating procedures or guidelines for ensuring better air quality will be issued by October 23.

The municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal revealed that construction was ongoing at around 6,000 sites in the city stated an official release.Chahal held a meeting with stakeholders to address the city's alarming air pollution levels. He serves as the civic body's administrator. The BMC release stated, “At all these places (where construction is going on) dust- and pollution-control measures should be implemented. Else, construction will be stopped, be it private or government work. 

Chahal proposed several measures during the meeting including enclosing construction sites with 35-foot-high iron sheet barriers, covering under-construction buildings with green cloth or jute sheets, providing sprinkler systems at construction sites within 15 days and supplying anti-smog guns within 30 days.The civic body also plans to operate anti-smog guns on major roads. Experts from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and BMC will verify pollution levels caused by refineries, the Tata power plant and the RCF plant in the city. not meet these requirements.

Government agencies executing metro, road and other projects must enclose their construction sites and provide sprinkler systems and anti-smog guns, the BMC said.Chahal instructed that vehicles transporting construction debris shall be covered properly with tarpaulin sheets and not carry more than the prescribed load.The transport commissioner's office should take stringent action against vehicles which are past their service life, do not have a Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate or are overloading, the release said.