Mumbai cracks down on construction sites as air pollution hits dangerous levels

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued stop-work notices to 53 construction sites across the city for contributing to rising air pollution, as Mumbai grapples with deteriorating Air Quality Index (AQI) levels. The 53 stop-work notices have been distributed across multiple wards: 17 in Siddharth Nagar (G-South), 5 in Mazgaon (E ward), and 31 in Malad West (P-North ward). The BMC stressed that strict enforcement through flying squads will continue, with penalties for non-compliance.

The civic body also reinforced its earlier directives, mandating that all air pollution control measures, including continuously operational AQI sensors, be strictly implemented.

Ashwini Joshi, Additional Municipal Commissioner, warned that strict action would follow against any site where AQI sensors were found inactive.


Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court constituted an independent five-member committee, comprising officials from the BMC, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and the state government's public health department, to inspect construction sites and ascertain whether guidelines are being adhered to.

The court, while hearing a bunch of petitions raising concerns over the deteriorating AQI in Mumbai, directed the BMC and the MPCB to submit an action taken report on December 15 regarding the measures they had taken last year.

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So far, 662 sensors have been installed citywide, with another 251 in progress; 117 of these systems were found to be non-functional during recent checks. Joshi emphasized that ward-level flying squads would ensure compliance.

BMC implements measures to curb pollution

The civic body highlighted ongoing initiatives to reduce air pollution, including:

- Enforcing cleaner fuel use in bakeries and crematoriums

- Deploying electric buses

- Managing construction debris scientifically

- Sprinkling water on roads to control dust

Since October last year, the BMC issued 28 construction guidelines, covering dust control measures such as metal fencing, green cloth coverings, proper debris handling, and installation of smoke absorption and AQI monitoring systems.

Among bakeries, 209 of 593 have switched to clean fuel, while another 57 recently transitioned, 75 have initiated the shift, and 88 have applied for piped natural gas connections from Mahanagar Gas.