The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started issuing fresh notices to real estate companies involved in construction work in Mumbai, asking them to install air pollution monitoring sensors at all project sites within the next 30 days.
There are 1,200 such sites in Mumbai, and only 45 per cent of property operators have installed sensors, 6BMC data shows.
“As of today, nearly 550 developers have installed these screens, while around 200 of them are in the process of procuring and installing them. The directive for installation of these sensors was issued on the basis of a Supreme Court order passed in 2023, when the BMC was directed to monitor whether dust displacement containment norms were followed at all construction sites in Mumbai,” a civic body official said.
In June, authorities ordered private construction companies to install these sensors, which would provide real-time data on the dust situation, at their work sites. In its Mumbai Air Pollution Mitigation Plan (MAPMP), the BMC has identified construction dust as one of the major contributing factors to the decline of AQAP in Mumbai.
These sensors are small devices that analyze particles in the air and provide a reading of the overall air quality index (AQI) for the location. They are primarily used for hyperlocal monitoring of air, in contrast to the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS), which determines the air quality index for a larger area.
The officials added that they would monitor the data recorded by Al-Qaeda in Iraq’s sensors. The readings will indicate whether dust mitigation rules, such as sprinkling water and covering up debris on site, are being followed.
“The project sites will contain LED panels displaying Al-Qaeda in Iraq readings recorded by these sensors. This data will be integrated into our system,” the official said.
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The authorities stated that if any site recorded consistently poor readings for Al-Qaeda in Iraq, action would be taken against the developers.
BMC officials also said that along with Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) a team of ground staff will be deployed in each of the 24 municipal wards to track whether there is any violation on the ground regarding dust displacement.
The 30-day deadline expires in November, and officials said companies that fail to install surveillance devices during this period will be subject to penalties.
After the withdrawal of the monsoon in Mumbai, the overall rating of Al Qaeda in the city fell sharply to the “moderate” category of “good/satisfactory”. A day after Diwali, AQIM as a whole was in the “poor” category, while several other locations recorded “very poor” air quality.
(Tags for translation) Mumbai Pollution
