Trees, buildings and parked cars along the by-lanes leading up to the iconic ground in Dadar — Shivaji Park, which sprawls over 28 acres and is one of the largest public open spaces in the city — are enveloped in a thin blanket of red soil. Having churned out cricketing legends such as Sachin Tendulkar and has been the epicentre of some of the most crucial political events, the Dadar ground has been making headlines of late for dust pollution.
Loose and untethered red soil and fine particles that form the top later of the Shivaji Park ground are displaced by winds, leading to dust pollution in the area. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have been scrambling for effective solutions but to no avail.
Now, the BMC — following directives from the MPCB — is set to carry out greening of the ground through grass plantation in a plan that seeks to bind the red soil and prevent it from getting blown away. The project is estimated to cost Rs 80 lakh.
Rajesh Tamhane, deputy municipal commissioner (Environment), told The Indian Express, “The project will be implemented at the ward level. We will soon approve a fund of Rs 80 lakh, following which work will commence.”
The iconic ground
What today exists as Shivaji Park ground initially formed part of a large open space conceived as a part of the Mahim Woods Project, which was among the earliest plans by the Bombay Municipal Corporation before the 1930s, according to the book, “Bombay: The Cities Within”.
The development of the area came along the heels of the formulation of the Bombay Improvement Trust for the expansion of the suburbs in a bid to decongest the island city. The park was opened to the public in 1925 and rechristened Shivaji Park in 1927.
According to historian Deepak Rao, between 1936 and 1937, plots of Shivaji Park were leased out. The ground became the hub of major political activity in the years that followed. “Starting from the independence movement, Shivaji Park was centre to several political gatherings, including the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, between 1955 and 1960. In 1966, the Shiv Sena held its first Dussehra rally at the Shivaji Park,” said Deepak Rao.
When the ground didn’t cater to meetings, it played host to the budding talents practising their sport. It was here that cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli honed their skills. In its 100th year now, Shivaji Park continues to be a favourite among sports enthusiasts.
Origin of a crisis
In its earliest years, the Shivaji Park comprised sandy soil which, being heavier, didn’t blow in the wind like the present red soil. Over the years, the grass withered away but the problem took a turn for the worse in 2021 when the BMC launched an ambitious beautification plan that sought to plant grass and revamp the area. To facilitate the work, the BMC dumped truck loads of red soil on the existing layer of soil.
However, the project never attained fruition after nearly 400 trucks of soil were dumped on the ground, according to local residents.
“And that is when our problems worsened,” said Vaibhav Rege, who grew up in the area. “After the first few months, the layer of soil started floating in the air. During monsoons, rain settles the dust, but the problem re-emerges during winters when the grass starts withering away,” said Rege, adding that the problem peaks during summer.
Sanjeev Khanolkar, secretary of Shivaji Park Gymkhana, added that the problem aggravated in the recent years, coinciding with the depleting open spaces.
“ Being the largest among the remaining open spaces of Mumbai, people flock here. With no grass to hold the soil, dust from the ground rises further when kids kids run and play,” said Khanolkar.
In a recently submitted finding, the IIT – Bombay also reported that constant foot traffic and activities at the park have compacted the top layer of the soil into fine particles, which get suspended by wind.
According to environment professional Dilip Shenai, red soil itself is not the culprit. “The finer, loose particles, which form the upper layer of the soil keep blowing in the wind, affecting the overall air quality. This is a problem with any soil ranging from black to alluvial soil,” Shenai said, adding that a concrete solution lies in binding the red soil through grass plantation.
Impact on the area
Pointing to the layer of red hue on the trees and facade of nearby buildings, Vaibhav Rege said that the suspended dust particles from the ground settles as far as on the 20th floor of nearby highrises.
The dust has also left several residents of the area grappling with health problems, with recorded cases of allergies and respiratory problems increasing in the locality, especially among children and the elderly, according to Vaibhav Rege.
Donning a protective mask during his evening stroll around the park, local resident Dr Suhas Patwardhan, an asthma patient, said that even inhaling the dust-laden air briefly without protection, leaves him coughing through the night. In his 80s, Dr Patwardhan says, “The particulate matter from the red soil when inhaled is very harmful. We have flagged this problem for years and despite knowing the health hazards, the authorities have failed to find a solution.”
Khanolkar of Shivaji Park gymkhana — who has been residing in the area for 67 years — echoed that lung problems are on the rise.
Shenai added, “People with chronic respiratory issues and the elderly are particularly prone to being affected.” Construction dust from redevelopment projects makes the situation worse for residents, he said.
BMC strategies
BMC assistant commissioner Ajitkumar Ambi told The Indian Express that a proposal for an allocation of Rs 80 lakh has been sent to the the civic body’s environment department. The BMC is also carrying out urgent mitigation measures, including compaction with a roller and application of water, to stabilise the soil and dust.
This is the latest among a slew of measures planned by the MPCB and the BMC over the past few years to tackle the pollution. In 2024, the BMC devised plans to excavate 9-inch red soil from the ground in patches. However, the proposal was put on the back burner after a recently submitted report by the IIT-Bombay stated that it would fail to curb the problem in the long term.
On January 6, MPCB chairperson Siddhesh Kadam inspected the expansive ground and directed the civic body to submit a time-bound plan within 15 days — prompting the BMC to rope in experts from IIT-B to conduct a study of the area.
Soon after, in a study of the top surface of the ground’s soil at four locations, the IIT-B’s interim report stated that the ground required more concrete measures such as grass plantation to prevent dust suspension.
After the findings came to the fore, the MPCB on February 4 directed the BMC to plant grass seedlings of native origins on the ground by bifurcating the surface into patches. “We have asked the BMC to make the soil more fertile so that grass can grow there. It is the best possible way to prevent dust displacement from the ground,” said Kadam at a press conference. The pollution board has also directed the BMC to disallow digging activities on the ground and appoint a contractor for its maintenance.
A deadline of three months was given to the civic body to implement the proposed measures ahead of monsoon. However, over a month on, the BMC is yet to commence the plantation works with a tender for the project yet to be floated.
A senior BMC official said that while the MPCB has issued directives to the civic environment department, the project will be implemented at the ward level. “We have sent a proposal for allocation of Rs 80 lakh to the environment department. However, we are yet to receive the approvals. The directives for the execution of the project will also come from the environment department,” said a ward official.
Slew of concerns
Khanolkar questioned the practicality of the plan to plant grass on a ground, which hosts a large influx of sports enthusiasts and huge public gatherings. “Unlike Priyadarshini Park or even Five Gardens which are gardens, Shivaji Park is a public ground where thousands of people come in to play, jog, meet and attend public gatherings. With such high footfall, how can the grass be sustained? While grass plantation can be done in patches like on cricket pitches, it isn’t really feasible to implement the plan all over Shivaji Park.”
Chetan Kamble, a local resident and founder of Chakachak Dadar added, “The BMC’s plan to carry out grass plantation has already failed in the past. They are proposing experimental measures instead of doing something concrete.”
The BMC is planning to commence grass plantation by this month, after the approval of funds. According to senior officials, the greening work is slated to be taken up in patches— ensuring that the park is not rendered inaccessible for the crowd while transplantation of trees will also be conducted in the second phase.
BMC assistant commissioner Ajitkumar Ambi told The Indian Express that a proposal for an allocation of Rs 80 lakh has been sent to the the civic body’s environment department (Express Photo) 
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