461 of 815 construction sites visited by BMC issued warning notices

Mumbai's Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued notices to 461 construction sites across the city for not following air pollution guidelines. The BMC has warned that construction sites will be sealed or given stop work notices if violations continue. The BMC is in the process of reminding all 6,000 construction sites in the city to follow guidelines. Mumbai's overall air quality index was moderate, but many stations were in the 'poor' category.

MUMBAI: In just a single day, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued notices to 461 construction sites across the city’s 24 wards, warning them of strict action if its air pollution guidelines were not followed. The intimation notice states that stop work notices will be issued or construction sites sealed in case of violations.

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On Friday, the ward-level squads visited 815 construction sites, and a written intimation was slapped on 461 of these. The squads included a senior ward official, two engineers, one police officer and one marshal with a vehicle. The squads were formed after the BMC issued fresh guidelines on October 25, mandating all construction sites, whether private or government, to follow guidelines or face a stop work notice.

Ashwini Joshi, additional municipal commissioner, said the BMC was in the process of issuing a letter to all 6,000 construction sites across the city, reminding them to follow the air pollution guidelines. The BMC said that besides visits to the sites, it was also integrating air pollution guideline reminders in its ‘Auto DCR’ portal, which grants various permissions for construction.

City AQI moderate, individual spots poor

Mumbai’s overall air quality index (AQI) was moderate on Saturday, with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) pegging it at 180 and the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) placing it at 145.

Many stations, however, were in the orange or ‘poor’ category. These included the Bandra-Kurla Complex at 212, Colaba at 219, Sion at 226, Deonar at 253, Navy Nagar in Colaba at 225, Mulund West at 204, Chembur at 210, and Kherwadi at 204. Only Siddharth Nagar at Worli was in the green at 96, with the air quality at a satisfactory level. The primary pollutant was PM2.5.

According to SAFAR readings, the air quality was poor in Chembur (TISS) at 276, Colaba at 224, BKC at 206. Again, PM2.5 was to blame.

On the BMC’s website, four of the five stations had readings in the ‘poor’ category; Byculla at 202, Kandivali at 207, Ghatkopar at 235, and Govandi at 254. The fifth, Sewri, was at the edge of moderate at 199.