For nearly four months, pollution has been a major concern in Mumbai, India’s financial capital city, due to extensive development and construction work. Officials have reported that air quality has worsened for the first time, and the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) has attributed this to the increase of dust particles in the air. As a solution, the BMC has decided to form ward-level task forces that will implement standard operating procedures (SOPs) to control the pollution.
To control the amount of dust particles, three task forces will be appointed in each of the city’s 24 wards. They will be responsible for controlling dust particles during construction work by conducting regular field visits to the project sites to monitor the situation. If there is any violation of the SOPs, they will take strict action, including issuing fines, warnings, or stop-work notices. The task force will also monitor the cleanliness of the roads, take measures to control the dust on the roads, sprinkle water, and locate places where garbage and other waste items are burnt.
Furthermore, the task force will check and monitor the usage of fuel types in hotels, restaurants, dhabas, bakeries, eateries, roadside stalls, and other establishments. It will cross-check the type of fuel being used and report any instances of unclean fuel being used. The BMC aims to curb pollution in Mumbai by conducting inspections at the ward level and preparing reports based on the task force’s observations.
Mumbai has been more in the news for air pollution than the national capital, Delhi, and a recent survey even ranked Mumbai as the second most polluted city globally for a week between January and February 8, 2023. Therefore, the BMC’s decision to form task forces is a much-needed step to tackle the problem of air pollution in Mumbai caused by dust particles, burning waste, and usage of unclean fuel.
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