Improved AQI in Borivali East and Byculla prompts review of construction ban, as pollution concerns shift to Govandi and Colaba | Photo Credit: Salman Ansari
Mumbai: After the closure of construction activities, the Air Quality Index (AQI) has reportedly improved in Borivali East and Byculla, according to a civic official. As a result, the BMC has decided to monitor the situation in these areas for the next 24 hours before considering the revocation of the construction ban.
At the same time, the civic body may impose a ban in other areas like Govandi-Shivaji Nagar and Colaba-Navy Nagar if the AQI, which has exceeded 200, does not improve in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has issued notices to the Coastal Road project and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) regarding the metro railway project at Bandra-Kurla Complex, for non-compliance with pollution control measures.
While sharing details of the meeting with the media, Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani mentioned, “Air quality in Borivali East is improving, and Byculla has recorded an AQI between 125 to 140. We will monitor air quality for another 24 hours, and if it continues to improve, we will consider revoking the construction activity ban.”
He added, “The AQI in Navy Nagar and Shivaji Nagar has been alarming. We will closely monitor these areas for the next few days, after which the same procedure for closure will be followed if necessary.”
Siddesh Kadam, Chairman of MPCB, held a review meeting with Gagrani on Friday. He mentioned that the MPCB had found discrepancies in the AQI readings between the IITM and MPCB monitoring stations. As a result, a mobile monitoring van has been deployed in Navy Nagar and other areas of Mumbai.
“We have issued a notice to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) for recalibrating the air quality monitoring station at Colaba. We have also asked the BMC to increase the number of mobile vans for air quality monitoring across the city,” Kadam said. Additionally, he advised IITM to use monitoring equipment that is approved by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) or MPCB.
MPCB has also instructed the BMC to submit a detailed plan for the sewage treatment plant and Deonar dumping project. “We learned that the upgradation of the seven sewage treatment plants will be completed by 2027. Until then, we have asked the BMC to implement a temporary solution for treating sewage before discharging it into a natural source,” Kadam added.
