BMC’s sweeping machines causing more dust pollution: Citizens

Mechanical sweepers function using rotating brushes that sweep dust and debris from the road surface. A water-sprinkling system is meant to run simultaneously, keeping particles down so that the dust gets suppressed and collected

MUMBAI: The BMC’s mechanical road sweepers were meant to be the panacea for a dust-laden city beleaguered by construction activity and poor AQI. Many citizens, however, claim that the machines are operating without the mandatory water, and far from clearing the dust, are releasing it into the air.

BMC’s sweeping machines causing more dust pollution: Citizens

Mechanical sweepers function using rotating brushes that sweep dust and debris from the road surface. A water-sprinkling system is meant to run simultaneously, keeping particles down so that the dust gets suppressed and collected.

Residents from Chembur, Bandra, Chandivali and Andheri said they saw little difference after the machines moved through their neighbourhoods. “The improper operation of the machines is adding to the dust load in several pockets,” said activist Zoru Bhathena. “Many countries use this technology so why are we seeing this problem here? A few years ago, the BMC had deployed larger machines, but those too released heavy diesel fumes and barely collected any dust.” Bhathena added that stretches undergoing demolition or road work needed constant water spraying but such precautions were missing.

Members of the Mumbai North Central District Forum (MNCDF), a citizens’ welfare forum, pointed out that contractors responsible for road-sweeping needed to be monitored more closely. “Every time I go across the coastal road stretch, I see the machines spewing dust into the air and clearly visible suspended particles,” said MNCDF founder Adv Trivankumar Karnani. “There is no water sprinkled before or during sweeping. This is more cosmetic than real cleaning.” Karnani added that in Bandra, where construction is rampant, both private developers and government contractors fail to follow dust mitigation norms.

Residents in Chandivali and Sakinaka also expressed dissatisfaction, claiming that while sweepers were occasionally seen on wider stretches near the airport, internal roads remained neglected. “The sweeping machines are not working efficiently at all,” said Mandeep Makkar, founder of Chandivali Citizens Welfare Association (CCWA). “In fact, pedestrians are often seen coughing and even breathless as a machine passes.”

MNCDF and CCWA members said they had filed multiple complaints on the BMC’s grievance portal and raised the issue on social media but had seen no visible improvement. “People are breathless, contracting infections and suffering lung irritation,” said Karnani. “Cement dust from construction sites coats the roads, and the BMC’s own teams contribute to it during repairs. Walking through these stretches has become a nuisance.”

When contacted, a senior official from the BMC’s environment department said that mechanical sweepers fell under the solid waste management division. “We are using road washing and tankers as part of dust control,” he said. “We have 94 squads monitoring construction dust and issuing stop-work notices wherever violations are seen.”

When questioned about the alleged lack of water, a senior official from the solid waste management department said that the use of water was mandatory. “We definitely use water in the machines,” he said. “There could be technical faults sometimes. We are working on fixing those.”