BMC To Launch Mobile App Showcasing Actions Taken To Improve Mumbai’s AQI

Mumbai is choking with poor-quality air. The Air Quality Index (AQI) has been reaching new heights for days now. To purify the air Mumbaikars breathe, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has taken various steps in the past few days. Now, the BMC is all set to introduce a mobile app showcasing Mumbai’s air quality. 

All of the information regarding the actions carried out by the BMC will be available through the new mobile app. Citizens will have access to it to obtain first-hand knowledge.

The civic body published a list of 27 mitigation strategies on October 23 and commanded construction firms to follow them. It has sent warning alerts to one thousand construction sites so far.

BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said that the offenders have received notices from BMC. The civic body will begin implementing real changes by the end of November or/and the beginning of December.

Chahal further added that the information should be gathered onto a single platform. For example, how many warning notices have been sent out, how many construction sites have been asked to halt operations, how many roads have been cleaned, how many buildings are still unfinished or under construction, the air quality index (AQI), and data for the previous week will all be available on the app.

According to Chahal, efforts to keep Mumbai pollution-free will continue, and the current system and app will be helpful for the next 20 years.

Deepak Kesarkar, the guardian minister of Mumbai, recently voiced concerns over the AQI monitoring equipment. According to him, SAFAR Institute devices are situated close to companies, landfills, and neighborhoods with clearly low air quality, like the BKC. He has also called for Mumbai to implement a sensible AQI monitoring mechanism.

BMC has taken various steps to curb the air pollution. It has sent notices to over 1000 construction sites, it is also working on cloud seeding to generate artificial rains, it is also planning to deploy 1,000 tankers to spray water on Mumbai’s roads and setting up a dedicated web application for citizens to complain about pollution in the city. Iqbal Singh Chahal also said that only construction sites are not responsible for an increase in air pollution in Mumbai.

Chahal termed real estate development "the backbone of the city", and claimed that global climate variables were mostly to blame for pollution, as they cause air to stagnate over Mumbai and obstruct the dispersion of pollutants.

Experts believe that air stagnation is to blame for the current decline in air quality, and this was also brought up in a meeting with the chief minister on November 8, stated Chahal. He pointed out that since this circumstance is probably going to occur annually, it is critical for individuals to participate by making suggestions for solutions and exercising prudence.

According to Chahal, the public has to become involved in this endeavour and support a push to make Mumbai pollution-free. Citizens should do something similar to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to make Mumbai pollution-free.