Govandi goes breathless with invisible pollutants in air

The source of the pollutants in the air, it is believed, is the nearby Deonar landfill, which is an unsanitary mixed waste dump. This is based on data from a low-cost air quality sensor deployed by the Govandi Citizens Action Committee Against Pollution, and vetted by a third-party company that provides AQI monitoring services to industries

Mumbai: While Mumbai has been beleaguered by steadily deteriorating air quality lately, residents of Govandi have been dealing with an even more acute problem since the onset of winter: an invisible devil in the form of gaseous pollutants such as ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air, which is causing serious health hazards.

Mumbai, India - 31 January. 2016: Fire at Deonar dumping ground in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, January 31, 2016. ( PHOTO BY PRASHANT WAYDANDE )

The source of the pollutants in the air, it is believed, is the nearby Deonar landfill, which is an unsanitary mixed waste dump. This is based on data from a low-cost air quality sensor deployed by the Govandi Citizens Action Committee Against Pollution, and vetted by a third-party company that provides AQI monitoring services to industries.

The sensor was used to conduct an observational monitoring exercise over 96 hours between December 24-27 last year, which showed the concentration of these pollutants going well over the threshold -- ‘safe limit’ -- prescribed by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). (See accompanying box.)

The sensor was deployed on the roof of a residential settlement, roughly 100 metres from the Deonar landfill. It showed that O3 levels were consistently above 200ug/m3 for 12 hours a day, and NO2 levels were consistently above 100ug/m3 for 18 hours in a day, over a four-day period. A repeat exercise over 24 hours on January 7 yielded similar results.

A comparison with data from official AQI monitoring stations across the city reveals a worrying picture. For instance, on December 25, ozone levels in Mazagaon (one of the city’s most polluted localities) touched a maximum of 147ug/m3, while NO2 levels maxed out at 51ug/m3. On December 27, in BKC (another highly polluted location), the level of ozone peaked at 79ug/m3 while NO2 peaked at 213ug/m3, much lower than in Govandi. An official air quality monitor in Deonar, however, regularly records daily ozone peaks in excess of 200ug/m3.

Breathing ground-level ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation and congestion. It can worsen respiratory tract illnesses, like bronchitis, emphysema and asthma. Ozone can also compromise lung function and inflame its lining, while repeated exposure can permanently scar the lung tissue. Elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide, too, can increase a person’s vulnerability to respiratory infections and asthma, which is exacerbated. Long-term exposure to high levels of nitrogen dioxide can result in chronic lung disease.

Abhinav Gupta, an engineer with a third-party company who installed the sensor in Govandi and validated the data, said, “We can’t say for sure why the level of these gaseous pollutants is so high, but it is likely because of emissions from the landfill. Nitrogen oxides and methane are both ozone precursors, which are emitted as organic waste from the landfill decays. Under the influence of heat, humidity and through chemical interactions with other pollutants in the air, ozone is formed. We only talk of suspended particulate matter because it can be seen, and is widespread, but in the vicinity of landfills these invisible pollutants can be more dominant.”

Faiyaz Alam, a civic activist and founder of the Govandi New Sangam Welfare Society, said, “We are constantly trying to gather such evidence so that there is some meaningful intervention by the government toward safeguarding the health of people living around the landfill. We are being treated like guinea pigs. We urge the chief minister of Maharashtra, who is visiting Govandi to inaugurate a public mural on January 15, to also acknowledge this pressing issue.”