13/03/2023
Air pollution issues in Mumbai City
The urban city "Mumbai" is a dream city in India, surrounded on three sides by the Arabian Sea. Population density is always high in this city, as it is also the financial capital of India. Population demands energy, a transportation system, water, and residential and commercial bases to operate life from various perspectives. Day by day, the population grows, and all would prefer to stay within the city than in an outlying region like Navi Mumbai, Thane, Mira Bhayandar, or the Vasai-Virar region. Real estate is one of the things that completes all the dreams, as they provide residence for the people developing high-rise buildings or vertical expansion as horizontal expansion has some limitations.
Now a days, air pollution in Mumbai has attracted attention as it is at an alarming level. If we look at the historical data on air pollution, in 2011, air pollution levels were at an alarming level in the Chembur region when monorail and other construction activities were running in a prominent way. Since the last winter season, or, say, post-Diwali 2022, it has generally been expected to see an increase in the level of air pollution. However, it is still on the alarm list for poor air quality.
The development rate of Maharashtra State has been poor for the last two and a half years, due to whatever reasons there may be. However, when the new government came into action, they would like to maintain the city/state development rate, which is a very positive sign for the nation. Public infrastructure projects, like roads, bridges, and the Metro, as well as real estate infrastructure, are being constructed in a rapid manner as the city urgently needs them. When such constructions occur in public or private infrastructure projects, they need to be taken care of for environmental compliance, which is generally not taken seriously in government projects. For government projects, as per the contract agreement, lots of points are ignored, which will impact environmental parameters directly or indirectly. The rising air pollution level in Mumbai city is due to construction activity, where a proposed environmental management plan (EMP) needs to be followed up to mitigate the issue at the source level. Air pollution has become such a serious issue that it requires mitigation at all stages.
I watch news through social media and have seen many articles from scientific, technical, and regulatory agencies where that are seriously looking for solutions to combat air pollution. Both CPCB and SPCB have general practices for making action plans based on conducted source apportionment and air quality prediction using emission inventories. The MoEFFCC/CPCB/SPCB spent a lot of money on it, which is a waste of money.
