BMC Issues Notices To 416 Construction Sites Violating Dust Mitigation Plan

As Mumbai's battle continues with bad air quality, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials visited 815 construction sites in the city and issued notices to 416. They asked the workers and owners of the site to strictly follow all the civic guidelines to mitigate air pollution, released by BMC on October 25.

On November 3, the BMC officials visited the construction sites across Mumbai as well as the western and eastern suburbs. Following their visits, intimation notices were issued to 461 sites, reiterating the guidelines of the latest mitigation plans. Additionally, if they were discovered to be breaking the rules, the officials threatened to issue "stop work" notices, read a BMC bulletin. The BMC has issued a severe warning, threatening strict action such as shutting the workplace.

Ward-level enforcement squads conducted the inspection; their deployment was mandated by the BMC's mitigation plan. Iqbal Singh Chahal, a state-appointed administrator and municipal commissioner, has directed ward officers to send out an enforcement squad in accordance with the instructions to make sure the rules are followed and that unlawful debris disposal from building and demolition sites is avoided.

Two ward-level engineers, one police officer, one marshal, and a car make up the squad, which is headed by a senior ward official. The city's middle-sized and tiny wards will have two and four squads, respectively, while the bigger wards will have six squads each.

The data in the Mumbai Air Pollution Mitigation Plan (MAPMP) paper show that road dust and its resuspension into the air are the next two main sources of pollution in Mumbai, after dust generated during construction and destruction on the numerous active projects.

The BMC guidelines specified that the enforcement squad shall visit the premises and video graph the worksite in an effort to monitor the infractions. Strict measures, such as issuing a stop work notice and/or closing the worksite, must be taken right away if it is found that the mitigating provisions are not being followed at the worksite.

Four out of five Mumbai families have at least one member with a sore throat, cough, or burning eyes as the nation's financial hub struggles to breathe and copes with extremely bad air quality. Firecrackers are prohibited during the ODI World Cup matches as a result of the Bombay High Court's suo motu consideration of the city's air pollution concerns. In the meantime, local authorities are scrubbing down on "creators" of air pollution and starting the process of cleaning all of the city's main highways, which are 60 feet wide.

Since the end of the monsoon and the beginning of the early winter in October, there has been persistent air pollution. The BMC has realised that over 6,000 construction sites in Mumbai are the main sources of pollution, while Mumbaikars continue to choke. The BMC issued an order on October 20 to control this, which included cleaning 650 km of main roads every day with reclaimed water, using anti-smog guns, sprinklers at construction sites, and special squads to apprehend violators.

Mumbai was included in the list of the world's most polluting cities on November 5, based on data provided by Swiss Group IQAir. Mumbai's Air Quality Index was considered "moderate." Because of its seaside location, the city was mainly spared of the difficulties associated with haze or smog and air pollution. Dust and other suspended particles would be carried out of the metropolitan area by the strong sea breezes, protecting the city's air from pollution.