Angry citizens raise voice as city records poor AQI on 3rd straight day

Mumbai faces severe smog for three days, prompting citizens to question BMC's actions. AQI nears 'Poor' category as dust pollution rises amidst inadequate measures.

Mumbai: With the city smothered under a blanket of smog for the third consecutive day, angry citizens are demanding to know what action the BMC is taking. On Saturday, Mumbai recorded an AQI of 187, inching closer to the ‘Poor’ category, while seven stations were already in this category (see graphic). With regard to PM2.5 levels, Mazgaon recorded the highest at 335, Borivali East stood at 313, Byculla at 323, Malad West at 321 and Siddharth Nagar, Worli at 311.

Mumbai: A local train moves amid fog, at Kandivali in Mumbai, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (PTI Photo) (PTI12_28_2024_000270B) (PTI)

Citizens are now raising their voice against the lack of action by the government, including the BMC. The civic body launched a Dust Mitigation Plan in October 2023 and reinforced it this December with daily progress reports. However, it has not reflected in the PM2.5 levels across stations.

Prakash Belwade, a social activist and resident of Shivaji Park, on Saturday complained about the demolition work being carried out around Shivaji Park despite a stop work notice issued by the BMC on December 27. “Air pollution is consistently increasing in the midst of which these demolitions are being carried out,” he said. “The dust, on account of which people have breathing problems, adds to the AQI. If you look at the demolition sites, there are no water sprinklers as mandated.”

Advocate Godfrey Pimenta of the trustee Watchdog Foundation said that an RMC plant placed near Sanjay Gandhi National Park was operational without adhering to the guidelines. “Such places need to be tracked down and handed a stop work notice,” he said.

According to the Standard Operating Procedure issued by the BMC for construction sites, water has to be sprinkled on stacked material or open construction surfaces besides other measures. In addition, the BMC has to station nuisance detectors in every ward and clean-up marshals to clear the dust and waste from roads near construction sites.

Researchers say that the measures being taken are temporary and will not improve the overall AQI. Manoj Kumar of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, said that washing and cleaning roads would make no difference since they would attract dust the next day. “The measures being taken currently are endpoint actions,” he said. “What we need is source-based action plans.”

As the visibility continues to remain low, a 70-year-old resident of Juhu who is an asthma patient, finds it tough to step outdoors. “I cannot breathe and feel extremely uneasy when I walk through this smog,” she said. “For the past three days, my breathing has worsened. There are no road-cleaning measures happening in our area.”

As per the daily report update by the BMC, civic workers collected 189 metric tons of debris on Saturday and cleaned 243 kilometres of road with water under the Dust Mitigation Plan.

MMRDA issues stringent guidelines to curb pollution

On Saturday, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) issued stringent guidelines to curb dust pollution caused by construction activities. To ensure strict compliance, MMRDA has introduced a robust penalty structure for contractors failing to adhere to these guidelines. Non-compliance will attract fines starting from ₹5 lakh for the first instance, escalating to ₹20 lakh and work suspension for repeated violations.