Mumbai gasps under smog, BMC swings into pollution-war mode

The picture-postcard views of Marine Drive have been replaced by a disconcerting blanket of smog, a stark visual marker of Mumbai’s deepening air-quality crisis. Faced with rapidly plummeting air quality, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has moved from advisory to aggressive enforcement, deploying a targeted, ward-level strategy to combat the city’s No. 1 pollutant: construction dust.

- ANJALI SINGH & PRACHI PISAL

The BMC has activated a special-ised force — 94 ward-level teams — effectively turning them into “flying squads” tasked with policing both the city’s colossal infrastructure projects (including Metro lines and the Coastal Road) and private construction sites. Their mandate is clear: ensure strict compliance with BMC’s comprehensive 28-point dust and pollution-control guidelines.

This is not a symbolic crackdown.

Multiple construction sites that failed to adequately implement mitigation measures such as water sprinkling, green netting, and material-storage covers have been slapped with “stop-work” notices. The authorities are underscoring that the city’s development cannot come at the cost of public health.

The civic body said Mumbai’s air quality has improved since November 26, supported by ongoing measures and wind speeds rising to 10-18 kilometres per hour.

Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani said that steps such as “misting to control dust, washing of roads, special cleanliness drives, shifting bakeries and crematoria to cleaner fuels, and public-awareness efforts have contributed to the improvement in Air Quality Index (AQI). He clarified that Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-4 is not applicable in Mumbai at present, although monitoring instructions were issued. Gagrani also appealed to project sites to “strictly follow pollution-control norms”, ensure bakeries transition to cleaner fuels, and urged citizens to avoid burning waste.

‘The impact of BMC’s measures is already visible in Malad West, Siddharth Nagar, and Mazgaon, where 53 sites received stop-work notices. Developers say early-stage projects will be hit hardest.