BMC grapples with poor air quality index

The change in weather has impacted the air quality in the Mumbai Metropolitan City and Mumbai Metropolitan Region too. The municipal commissioner and administrator of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Iqbal Singh Chahal, has directed the implementation of measures to address the issue of air quality. To control dust and improve the air quality index, mist machines are in operation at various locations in the city.

26 Oct 2023 | By Charmiane Alexander

The BMC , in its Mumbai Air Pollution Mitigation Plan, identified “dust arising from construction sites and construction debris” as one of the top five sources

A series of reports have identified five sources of pollution — open burning of solid waste, construction debris, road dust, use of unclean fuel in eateries and industrial emissions. But the BMC's Pollution Mitigation Plan and Standard Operating Procedure, highlights measures to curb dust pollution but the agency has yet to find ways to tackle Mumbai’s longstanding waste management problem.

With the air quality deteriorating in Mumbai, the BMC has warned that it would stop construction, be it a private site or a government project, if dust and pollution control measures are not being taken. Construction is going on at 6,000 sites in the city currently, an official release stated.

There shall be a complete ban on open burning anywhere in the geographical area under BMC, especially garbage dumping grounds and possible sites of trash burning.

The BMC had said that construction is currently underway at 6,000 locations in Mumbai. Climate change is adversely affecting the air quality of the Mumbai metropolitan area, including the Mumbai region. As a result of this, it has been observed that there is an increase in air pollution.

As per Jeet Mashru (award winning journalist) on his X handle said, "The ward level task forces announced in March were to submit reports twice a month. Only four wards have sent their reports since April to BMC's environment department." Mashru added, "The ward officers are of the opinion that the SOPs formed by the committee to mitigate air pollution is “responsibility without any authority" with no clear guidelines on penal or stringent actions."

The BMC) has banned open-air burning of trash or any other material across Mumbai in view of the rising air pollution in the city.

WhatPackaging? magazine has been advocating, there should be a ban on open burning anywhere in the geographical area under BMC, especially at garbage dumping grounds and possible sites of trash burning due to the high ratio of plastic, rubber, etc. For this, waste segregation and elimination of single use plastic is paramount.