This morning, the US Consulate in Mumbai recorded the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) as 178. The situation had not changed much by 4 pm when the AQI was recorded at 168
An AQI between 150 and 200 is considered unhealthy, while 201 to 300 is very unhelthy and anything above 300 is considered hazardous.
Incidentally, the unhealthy AQI was recorded a day after Mumbai joined Greenpeace India in its campaign for Clean Air by demanding a continuous and robust air quality monitoring system. The idea was to have a system spread through Mumbai and also across Maharashtra to measure and assess quality of air in a comprehensive and systematic manner before initiating a time bound and effective regional action plan to fight the growing threat of air pollution. A number of people gathered at Juhu Beach and demanded Regional Clean Air Action Plan from Maharashtra government.
Mavir Poonacha, Engagement Campaigner, Greenpeace India said, “Air pollution is not only limited to Delhi, but spreading from north to south, east to west, creating an apocalyptic scenario throughout the country. Mumbai has been witnessing severe air pollution and with this initiative, we are urging Mumbaikars to unite together and demand for an action plan to combat air pollution. Mumbai should lead and set an example by not being on the list of most polluted and unhealthy cities, but by joining the cities where clean air, better environs and healthy ways are prioritised over everything else so as to provide and ensure better quality of life for all its people.”
In November 2017, the AQI in the national capital had hit hazardous levels prompting the Indian Medical Association declared a public health emergency and requested the state government to shut schools and advised people from venturing out. While the news of Delhi’s pollution hit news, DNA reported in December that Mumbai’s AQI had reached hazardous levels, but there were no reports available on the reason behind the alarmingly high toxic air. Mumbai had seen higher levels of hazardous air in the past. A few months earlier, Mumbai woke up to a smoggy morning with the Air Quality Index at US Consulate reaching a hazardous level of 341 at 6 am.
Although a Greenpeace India report titled “Airpocalypse II” released a fortnight ago showed Mumbai’s PM10 level was 130 ug/m3 for the year 2016, but highlighted how the island city has experienced hazardous air pollution levels in the past, including in early February.
Greenpeace analysis shows that high pollution levels affected an area spread through more than a 100 km across and around Mumbai. This is due to air pollution sources dotting the Maharashtra-Gujarat coastline to the north of the city and contributing to the episode. Research has found that power plants, open burning, commercial food sector and road transport are the main sources of air pollution in Mumbai.
Source: Greenpeace India
Currently, Mumbai has two AQI Monitors that provides real time air levels, while Delhi NCR has 11 AQI Monitors. Other than this under SAFAR there are 9 but that falls under the Earth and Science Ministry.
Looking at the bigger picture, Maharashtra has a total of 14 AQI monitors, with the maximum number in Pune with seven.
Sadly, in Maharashtra none of the 24 cities for which air quality data is available are complying with the annual PM10 air quality standards set by CPCB. As a consequence of this, 6.7 million children under five years of age live in districts exceeding the national ambient air quality standards across Maharashtra and another 2.6 million live in areas where no data on the status of air quality exists.
HEALTH HAZARDS DUE TO BAD AQI
"Exposure to fine particulate matter pollution is the largest environmental health risk in the world, increasing the risk of lung cancer, stroke, heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lower respiratory infections and asthma. PM2.5 is estimated to have been responsible for over three million premature deaths in 20107. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified particulate matter pollution as carcinogenic to humans in 2013, and designated it as a “leading environmental cause of cancer deaths," said a 2015 Greenpeace India report.
The report also highlights that particulate matter and ozone are the biggest factors to cause respiratory diseases in Mumbai.
THE ROAD AHEAD
In 2015, the centre asked states to work proactively to enable speedy implementation of solar power projects.A statement issued by the PMO said states should work proactively towards creating conducive policy framework to enable speedy implementation of solar power projects.
Calling for the better management and use of solid waste, PM Narendra Modi had also said India is effectively moving towards applying solar and wind energy to various activities of daily life.
In the recently concluded union budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the government was committed to ensuring a better environment, and will financially aid the development of bio-gas from solid waste. The government will launch a scheme for galvanising organic bio and agro resources, named Gobardhan which will see conversion of cattle dung and solid waste in farms to compost fertilisers, bio-gas and bio-CNG.
In addition, 115 districts have been identified as ‘Aspirational Districts’ by the government for focused attention, to develop these as model districts. Access to clean drinking water and toilets are two indices that will be taken into consideration during the development of these districts.
But despite his warnings and appeals, a lot has still to be done.
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 "Students during the Greenpeace India initiative at Mumbai's Juhu beach")
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Source: Greenpeace India
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