Maharashtra minister proposes one-day weekly pause for construction in Mumbai to curb air pollution

The minister called for immediate and effective measures in view of the likelihood of worsening air pollution during winter.

Amid the worsening air quality index, Mumbai suburban guardian minister Ashish Shelar proposed that all construction and demolition activities across the city limits be halted one day a week to curb rising air pollution.

The green nets placed over the soil mounds at Haji Ali area mandated dust-mitigation and air pollution control measure and infrastructure excavation sites across Mumbai area, (HT Photos )

In his letter to Mumbai municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide, Shelar called for immediate and effective measures in view of the likelihood of worsening air pollution during winter. Shelar said that citizens had submitted several representations regarding rising air pollution in Mumbai, while the Bombay high court had also expressed concern over deteriorating air quality index.

The air pollution in Mumbai has been a concern over past few weeks. The AQI was hovering around 170 on Monday.

Shelar also proposed a Mumbai-specific Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to ensure that predetermined measures are implemented promptly whenever air quality deteriorates. He also called for roads in pollution-prone areas and along major traffic corridors to be washed using treated wastewater, water sprinkling, mechanised night-time road cleaning, urgent pothole repairs and timely restoration of roads after excavation.

He further proposed a dedicated helpline and social media account for reporting incidents of waste burning, fires at dumping grounds and illegal dumping of construction debris. Complaints should be addressed promptly, offenders penalised and weekly action-taken reports made public. Anti-smog guns and mist sprayers should also be deployed at highly polluted locations and major traffic junctions.

Calling for stricter enforcement against polluting vehicles, Shelar suggested coordinated action by the Mumbai Traffic Police and the Regional Transport Office (RTO), increased checks of Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates and restrictions on heavy vehicles without valid certificates entering the BMC area.

He stressed that these measures should extend beyond Mumbai and be implemented in coordination with all relevant local bodies across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

He welcomed the measures already undertaken by the BMC, including pollution-control measures at construction sites, ward-level inspection teams, monitoring of 3,166 construction sites through the Central Air Quality Dashboard, a construction debris management system, the use of clean fuels in bakeries and pollution-control systems at crematoriums. He also noted that PM10 pollution levels in Mumbai had declined by approximately 48 per cent since 2017-18. However, he stressed that more comprehensive measures were needed to effectively control pollution.

Shelar also called for the pending installation of sensor-based air-quality monitoring systems at construction sites to be completed urgently. He urged the conversion of the remaining 87 bakeries using wood or coal to cleaner fuels.

He proposed meetings in all 26 BMC wards involving citizen groups, elected representatives and concerned government departments to identify local problems and determine appropriate solutions. He further suggested a separate meeting with representatives of leading companies in the industrial sector to secure their cooperation, technical assistance and financial support for pollution-control initiatives.