Rains tackled, now Mumbai prepares for war on pollution: What city plans as winter approaches

As the monsoon nears its end, the BMC is preparing for a potential deterioration in Mumbai’s air quality ahead of the festive season and winter.

The monsoon in Mumbai is nearly over, and as the city gears up for the festive season and winter months, another challenge brews in the background – pollution and air quality.

To prevent Mumbai’s air quality from worsening as winter approaches, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced a special 15-day campaign from October 1.

The civic body’s move comes a week after the Union ministry released the National Clean Air Programme, which ranked Mumbai 28th in a list of 48 major metropolitan cities. Mumbai stood at 25th position last year, 28th the year before, and 10th in 2023.

BMC’s new campaign

At a review meeting on Friday, Mumbai’s municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide instructed officials to strictly implement the civic body’s 28-point guidelines to control air pollution.

Across Mumbai, nodal officers will be appointed to monitor work sites at major infrastructure projects to keep a check on their dust emissions, which could further deteriorate air quality.

“Currently, the air quality index (AQI) in the Brihanmumbai area is under control. However, necessary measures should be taken in advance to ensure that it does not deteriorate in the coming period and citizens do not have to face its impact,” said a civic official.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) dashboard, Mumbai has recorded satisfactory air quality since June, with rain helping wash away air pollutants. However, the AQI is likely to worsen once the monsoon withdraws. Under El-Niño climatic conditions, the situation is set to deteriorate further.

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Meanwhile, during Friday’s meeting, Bhide also reviewed the implementation of the BMC’s ‘Pedestrian First’ campaign.