Infra sites that were pulled up improve on compliance, but fail to curb pollution

HT visit signals better compliance. But residents claim that measures are inadequate given the quantum of dust pollution

Mumbai: A day after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a stop-work notice to the upcoming Bombay High Court (HC) complex in Bandra East for violating its air pollution mitigation guidelines, Hindustan Times on Tuesday found that metal sheets have been erected around the worksite, signalling better compliance. But residents of the area claimed that the metal sheets were inadequate given the quantum of dust pollution; they also said that sanitation lines in the area were damaged or blocked by debris from the site.

At the Metro 2B site, where ready mix concrete plants are operational, workers were seen sweeping the road

On Tuesday, HT also visited the bullet train project site and the adjacent Metro line 2B project site at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC); the BMC had issued stop-work notices to contractors of the two sites on December 1 and December 11, respectively, for violating its 28-point pollution mitigation guidelines.

On December 11, HT had reported about rampant violation of pollution control norms at major construction sites across the city, including the new HC complex site, the bullet train site and the adjacent Metro 2B site.

On Tuesday, HT found that strips of green cloth had been hurriedly strung over metal sheets that comprised the boundary of the bullet train site. Officials stationed there claimed water was sprinkled regularly on the streets and inside the site too to suppress dust.

“We have six tankers being used for the purpose almost daily,” a site worker said, requesting anonymity.

At the adjacent Metro 2B site, where ready mix concrete plants are operational, workers were seen sweeping the road outside while debris-laden trucks plying intermittently were covered with cloth.

At the HC site in Bandra, which was found violating at least 12 of the 28 points in BMC’s pollution mitigation guidelines, tall metal sheets had been erected all around to prevent dust from escaping outside.

But residents said the tin sheets had been erected only a week earlier and were clearly inadequate.

“Dust emanating from the site has reduced drastically since the sheets came up. But it continues to be a nuisance for us,” said Jyotsna Sonawane, who lives in an adjacent building.

Her neighbour Vidya Jadhav said they had been falling sick repeatedly since work on the court complex started.

“Cough and cold have been constant companions for me and my family since construction work started. We’ve had to visit doctors frequently, and our medical expenses have shot up,” Jadhav said.

Residents also claimed that debris from the HC site had blocked gutters in the area and broken some pipelines, leading to water stagnation.

“The mosquito menace has spiked because water has accumulated in front of our building,” said Jyotsna Sonawane, who lives in a building adjacent to the HC site.

When these violations were brought to the notice of a senior BMC official, he said though the civic body had issued stop-work notices to the concerned contractors, most officials were tied up with election duty.

Mridula Ande, assistant municipal commissioner, H-East ward, said, “We have already issued stop-work notices. Now, it is for them (the contractors) to comply with the norms and submit compliance reports to us.”

AQI stands at 136

The city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 4pm on Tuesday stood at 136, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Several locations reported elevated AQI levels, with PM2.5 and ozone being the major pollutants across a majority of monitoring stations.

Powai recorded an AQI of 176, while Shivaji Nagar stood at 178, placing both close to the poor category. BKC recorded an AQI of 172, Byculla reported 165, while Ghatkopar, Sion and Malad recorded 157, 159, and 146, respectively. Other areas with elevated AQI were the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (T2) at 150 and Navy Nagar–Colaba at 142.

A civic official told HT that though action had been ramped up owing to the worsening AQI, inspection squads were stretched thin due to deployment for the upcoming election. “We are holding meetings to see how we can continue to monitor AQI through the season. We are also sending notices regularly to violators,” the official said.