Days after 650 Mumbaikars write to BMC, civic body forms panel to control dust pollution

On Sunday afternoon, Chahal called an emergency meeting at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters where civic officials said currently over 5,000 projects related to various infrastructure and real estate works are underway in Mumbai. Civic sources stated that the ongoing construction works have been identified as a primary contributor to the city’s deteriorating AQI, since they produce large volumes of dust particles which stay suspended in the lower atmosphere.

The committee will be headed by Dr Sanjeev Kumar, Additional Municipal Commissioner, and will comprise Deputy Municipal Commissioner (environment) Atul Patil, DMC (infrastructure) Ulhas Mahale, DMC (solid waste management) Chanda Jadhav, Chief Engineer (development planning) Sunil Rathod and Satish Gite, a representative from the commissioner’s office. The panel will also have a nominated member from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB).

Chahal has directed the committee to prepare a detailed report which will be submitted to the civic administration in the next week. Based on this report, a standard operating procedure (SOP) on dust control measures will be issued by the BMC on April 1. He said actions including issuance of ‘stop work notice’ may be taken up against violators.

“The core purpose of this committee is to identify the immediate causes behind the dust pollution and to develop counter-measures that can be implemented at the earliest. The committee will seek inputs from experts and multiple stakeholders in Mumbai for framing the SOPs,” said an official.

Zia, a Breach Candy resident who is among the 650 citizens that wrote to the civic chief last week, said it is good that the civic body will act to curb the pollution. “Implementing some basic steps, like covering the carriages of trucks with tarpaulin sheets while transporting debris and increasing the number of electric vehicles in public transport could do wonders in terms of mitigating pollution levels in Mumbai. It is good that the administration is acting on the problem because all citizens breathe the same air and our health is affected,” Zia said.

Bhagwant Kesbhat, founder of city-based NGO Wataavaran Foundation, said the BMC should chalk out long-term solutions. “It is a welcome move that the civic body has now decided to frame a committee, but the point is they should implement long-term measures so the same situation doesn’t arise in the next winter. Also, since there are no public representatives in the civic body, the administration should maintain utmost transparency in framing policies and include citizens’ opinions while formulating the same,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mumbai is set to host the next leg of the G20 summit between March 28 and 30. During Sunday’s meeting, Chahal had also directed the officials to carry out a mock drill on March 25 and expedite beautification works as part of the summit.

In December 2022, during the first phase of the summit, the BMC had beautified and surfaced all roads in the western suburbs. Civic officials said this time roads requiring patchwork will be identified and beautification works will be carried out at the ward level in places where the delegates will visit.

“Areas adjoining the airport, Gateway of India, Bandra and Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) will be beautified since these spots will be frequented by delegates. Before that we will carry out an assessment to understand which are the places that need immediate action,” said an official.