To mitigate dust pollution over 650 km of roads across the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced that it is set to press 121 tankers in service along with manpower to carry out regular cleaning. The move comes along the heels of publication of the ongoing series—Death by Breath—by The Indian Express which has put the spotlight on the rapidly worsening of Air Quality Index (AQI) levels amidst unmonitored construction projects. According to data furnished in the Mumbai Air Pollution Mitigation Plan (MAPMP) document, the key factor contributing to pollution in Mumbai is the dust arising from construction and demolition work on a string of ongoing projects in the megapolis, followed by dust arising from road dust and its re-suspension in the air. Seeking to battle the intensifying air pollution, BMC has said that it will engage 121 tankers alongside manpower across the city's 24 wards to water roads wider than 60 feet that are prone to heavy traffic as well as busy footpaths. To ensure that drinking water is not wasted, BMC will use recycled water from local sources. Furthermore, the civic body has said that to prevent any inconvenience to residents, the cleaning will be carried out during off-peak traffic hours, especially between 3 am and 6 am. On Friday, Mumbai registered an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 168. The worst air quality has been recorded in Malad where AQI stands at 233, followed by Deonar (224), Chembur and Bandra East (218 for both), Sion (216) and Colaba (212). With the city reeling under rising AQI levels, senior civic officials convened a meeting to discuss the next civic move to implement dust mitigation norms. Alongside deployment of 121 tankers, special cleaning of roads, footpaths and washing is being carried out rapidly in all administrative divisions especially in areas where traffic is excessive. On October 22, BMC had also deployed six mist-spray vans in Mumbai. These vans are known as anti-smog guns that spray fine nebulised water droplets into the atmosphere so that the suspended particulate matter is absorbed from the air. These large guns, mounted on a vehicle (usually a truck), are connected to a water tank and spray fine droplets (50-100 microns) of water by passing it through high-pressure propellers.
