Only 21% of over 3,000 construction sites in Mumbai have installed AQI sensors, civic body data shows

Earlier this year, the BMC had instructed all construction sites within its limits to install sensors to track the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the area, besides erecting an LED board to display its readings at the site’s main entrance. The idea behind the move is that when the sensors show the AQI reaching ‘unsafe’ or ‘poor’ levels, the ongoing work could either be stopped or mitigation measures initiated, like sprinkling of water.

The BMC, in its Mumbai Air Pollution Action Plan (MAPAP), had identified dust displacement from construction sites to be a primary contributing factor to the city’s plummeting air quality.

Meanwhile, civic officials have maintained that they have been sending notices to real estate firms to ensure the sensors are installed at the earliest. “For sites that are not following the rules, we are sending a ‘stop work’ notice. So far, we have sent 53 such notices to real estate firms across Mumbai,” said an official.

Further, the BMC has deployed 450 junior officers to carry out site visits. “These officers are visiting construction sites to check if they have installed the sensors and whether the readings are displayed accurately. They are also keeping a record of the sites that are yet to comply with the rules,” the official added.

Meanwhile, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Mumbai’s overall AQI stood at 113 on Monday, which is regarded as ‘moderate’. Last week, after locations like Mazgaon, Deonar and Malad recorded poor AQI consistently, the BMC had imposed Stage-4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in these locations in a bid to check the pollution. GRAP has four stages, with Stage 4 being the basic stage and Stage 1 being the advanced one.