Air pollution situation in Mumbai unprecedented, says civic body; sets up panel for dust control

As per the directions given by Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal, the panel shall submit a report within seven days. The dust control measures will be strictly implemented in the BMC area from April 1, 2023, and strict action will be taken against violators, said the statement issued by the BMC.

Mumbai:Flagging rising air pollution in Mumbai and bad air quality, the city civic body has set up a panel to suggest dust control measures. The committee comprising seven members under the chairmanship of Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) Sanjeev Kumar, will suggest dust control measures, which will be strictly implemented in BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) areas from April 1, an official statement said on Sunday.

As per the directions given by Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal, the panel shall submit a report within seven days. The dust control measures will be strictly implemented in the BMC area from April 1, 2023, and strict action will be taken against violators, said the statement issued by the BMC.

The municipal commissioner on Sunday reviewed the Mumbai Beautification Project, air pollution control measures, and the preparedness for the upcoming G20 meeting. "The air quality in Mumbai region including the city is currently bad due to changes in the wind speed conditions combined with dust arising from various development and construction works, which are going on a large scale.

"In view of this, dust is the main factor responsible for air pollution. To control it, a committee comprising seven members has been constituted under the chairmanship of Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) Sanjeev Kumar," it said, adding stringent action including stopping the construction work will be taken against violators of dust control measures.

The air pollution situation has arisen like never before in the Mumbai metropolitan city. In the post-COVID-19 period, the dust generated by large-scale construction as well as various development works, and changes in the wind speed are the two main factors, the statement said. Although the natural conditions are out of human control, at present, there are more than 5,000 sites in Mumbai where various works are going on, and it is in the hands of the administration to minimise the dust generated from these locations, it said.

Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Environment), Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Infrastructure), Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Solid Waste Management), Chief Engineer (Development Planning), Executive Engineer Satish Gite as a representative from the municipal commissioner's office and a member nominated by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, are other members of the panel.

Based on the report of this committee, a Standard Operating Procedure for dust control in the BMC area will be finalised and implemented from April 1, 2023, it said. The Mumbai beautification project is a special project currently being implemented by the BMC administration. The 500 works that were taken up in the first phase in December 2022 are now nearing completion, while 320 works in the second phase have also started.

The civic chief has directed that all these works should be reviewed by senior officials and a schedule prepared for the completion of the works like the beautification of electric poles and footpaths, immediately, it said.

A meeting of the Trade and Finance Group of the G20 Council is scheduled from March 28 to 30 in Mumbai. Like the first meeting of the G20 conference, which concluded in December 2022, most of the venues of this meeting and hotels with guest accommodation are the same, the statement said.

Therefore, given previous experience, road maintenance and other necessary works should be completed on time on all the respective routes. The municipal commissioner stated the inspection of all these works and a mock drill will be conducted on March 25. PTI