Speak up Mumbai: Who is to be blamed for city’s worsening AQI?

It does not come as a shock to Mumbaikars that the city’s air is severely polluted but what rang the alarm bells was the heavy cover of haze on two consecutive days last week — February 6  and 7. It has left many concerned,wondering whether Mumbai was going to be the next Delhi.  The final nail was hammered on February 7 when Mumbai recorded an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 271 — the worst since Diwali last year.

According to experts from the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) that monitors AQI at 10 locations in Mumbai, it is the particulate matter (PM) 2.5 — the smallest-sized pollutant known for causing respiratory illnesses and worsening the condition of those suffering from ailments like asthma and bronchitis — which is the biggest worry and major contributor to the city’s deteriorating AQI. While Mumbai’s expanding vehicle population is a major concern, the bigger contributor to the bad air quality in the city is the dust particles from construction  sites. Moreover, the burning of garbage that takes place in various parts of the city adds on to it. 

VOICES

Apathy of the concerned authorities, disrespect of the environment by all and corruption by the authorities  are the primary causes. In Chembur, we have garbage and pollution from RCF besides the traffic. There is an incinerator for bio medical waste which is adding to the pollution. Vehicles are increasing but roads are shrinking.
—Rajkumar Sharma, Chembur                                        

There are many factories in Mahul which emit smoke. In Deonar dumping ground, garbage is burnt everyday, and you can see thick black smoke all around. I don’t think the building and factory officers from BMC inspect these chemical factories regularly. There is no limitations for chemical factories in Mumbai regarding the harmful smoke emissions. 
—Ajay Shete, Chembur

Usually we think that the rise in vehicular movement leads to increase in pollution. However, other factors like cutting trees, construction of high-rises, using excess lights are also adding to  pollution. In order to meet our demands, we have gone from one corner to another in the city. There are hundred factors that are adding to pollution. And, there is no need to say that the human beings are behind it.
—Wasim Ansari, Byculla
 
It’s the several construction works, including the Metro work, going on in Mumbai because of which Mumbaikars are breathing polluted and dusty air. Though pollution from vehicles is under control, few vehicles which are old still ply on the roads which emit bad quality smoke in the air. It has worsened because of the ill-mannered building construction and Metro work going on. It can be controlled by keeping a check on outdated vehicles and construction work should be monitored. Other sources like chimneys of restaurants, bakeries and hookah outlets need to be controlled.
—Cyril Dara, Byculla
 
Cutting of trees and the increasing use of private vehicles should be contained in order to avoid a Delhi-like situation in Mumbai. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board should play a major role in taking measures to curb pollution in the city.  Development work should take place but not at the cost of polluting the environment and harming the health of citizens.
—Sameer Patil, Mulund

The increasing number of vehicles on the roads and the traffic are the major contributors to this depletion in air quality. The amount of carbon monoxide that is emitted is rising day by day. Improper waste management and burning of waste in open areas are also major contributors to this.
—Vaishnavi Biju, Andheri

Pollution caused by road traffic is one of the major reasons contributing to air pollution. Low investment on public infrastructure leads to congested roads hence aggravating the problem. Large-scale construction work is the culprit that increases dust further, causing a dip in air quality. Mumbai does not have a proper garbage dumping facility. Garbage is not treated properly and burnt often which adds to the bad air quality. We should all pledge to make individual efforts to fight this danger which will surely affect us in the long run.
—Jayant Bardeskar, Kharghar
 
This is probably due to the increasing infrastructural and construction work going on in the city apart from the increasing vehicles. These issues can only be dealt with firm steps taken by the government towards bettering our environmental norms. New infrastructure projects have also caused severe damage to our green cover. We need to have more open spaces and trees in the city. Bad air quality has several health implications and immediate actions should be taken to ensure we do not end up being like Delhi.
—Suhail Ansari, Pydhonie

EXPERT SPEAK

Haze is common in Mumbai during winter when a phenomenon of temperature inversion in the lower levels of air takes place. It is most prominent during sunrise and sunset. This tends to trap pollutants and dust particles which leads to a deterioration in air quality as well as visibility. Further, if there are no winds these remain suspended in the air for a longer time worsening the quality.
—KS Hosalikar, Deputy Director General, Western Region, India Meteorological Department

As per the Mumbai study on PM 2.5 per cent share emissions by SAFAR in 2015, it’s the Industrial emissions followed by residential emissions and suspended dust particles that are the biggest contributors to the city’s poor air quality. The emissions from the industries and power sector is 35.82 per cent while that from biofuel burning in the slums is 27.05 per cent. Suspended dust contributes 21.2  per cent. It’s important that these sources of emissions are dealt with on priority for mitigation.
—Dr Gufran Beig, Director, System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research