BMC chief issues stricter guidelines to curb air pollution in Mumbai

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC in a press release on Monday October 7 stated that as climate change is negatively impacting the air quality in Mumbai resulting in heightened air pollution it has established guidelines and standard operating procedures SOP for air pollution control particularly concerning construction activitiesBMC has asked the authorities and builders to strictly follow these guidelines and SOPsMunicipal Commissioner and Administrator Bhushan Gagrani also directed officials to ensure that BMC pays attention to smaller contributors to air pollutionEfforts will be made to prohibit the burning of firewood and similar materials for cooking at construction sites to mitigate air pollution All government and private entities involved in construction and pollution management must adhere strictly to these guidelines and procedures as emphasised by Bhushan Gagrani the press release statedThe officers and staff of the Building Construction Proposal Department as well as the Assistant Municipal Commissioners of all the departments have been given strict orders to ensure that the implementation of air pollution abatement is routinely monitoredAfter a comprehensive discussion in a meeting on Monday October 7 at BMC headquarters regarding the control of air pollution in Mumbai Gagrani made several recommendations Additional Municipal Commissioner City Dr Ashwini Joshi Additional Municipal Commissioner Western Suburbs Dr Vipin Sharma Additional Municipal Commissioner Eastern Suburbs Dr Amit Saini and all the Deputy and Assistant Commissioners of Police were present at the meetingGuidelines issued by Mumbai civic bodyAll the departments that were involved gave presentations during the meeting regarding the policies and actions that had been implemented at each levelBMC released the following guidelines to reduce air pollutionInstalling sheet or metal cladding surrounding the construction project above 70 meters with a minimum height of 35 feet will be required of all project proponentsEvery building project larger than one acre must have sheet or metal covering surrounding it that is at least 25 feet high and at least 35 feet highCovering the sides of underconstruction structures with green cloth jute or tarpaulin is recommendedA building demolition site should be fully covered with tarpaulin green cloth or jute sheet from top to bottom and often sprayed or watered When moving building supplies water sprays have to be used Using antismog firearms is advised Water should be sprayed on the radars and other objects that are creating dust particles at the building site consistently and without fail Every vehicle transporting building supplies needs to have complete coverage from the top to the bottom and on all sides Overweight material should not be transported in the car to reduce the chance of it falling while being transportedEvery construction project work site should have sensorbased air pollution monitoring systems installed and if pollution levels exceed the limit prompt action should be taken It will be necessary to provide this monitoring system to BMC officialsEnforcement teams formed to monitor should the construction sites visit the respective areas and videograph the work place If it is found that the above mentioned provisions are not being followed at the workplace strict action such as issuance of stop work notice and or sealing of the workplace should be taken immediatelyThe Maharashtra Pollution Control Board should monitor the air pollution emitted by BPCL HPCL RCF Tata Power and industries in the nearby industrial estate areas on a daily basis and take appropriate action A daily report of this action should be submitted to the Additional Municipal Commissioner Western Suburbs and Additional Municipal Commissioner CityOpenloose soil sand construction material and radars of any kind and in any quantity should be kept under tarpaulin cover in properly barricaded fully covered enclosed areas in demarcated dedicated areas It should be ensured that construction materials and debris are not dumped on public roads footpaths footpaths and open spacesAt the exit of every construction project site there should be a facility to wash the wheels of the vehicles The dust on the main roads should be cleaned daily by vacuum sweeping or spraying water rubbing sweepingThere will be a complete ban on open burning of waste anywhere in the geographical area under the jurisdiction of BMC especially at dumping grounds and potential sites of waste burningldquoIt has come to the notice of the municipal administration that wood and similar fuels are being used on a large scale to prepare food for the workers residing at the construction site Such fuels emit a lot of smoke and can also pose a safety issue at times Keeping this in mind the concerned developers should make arrangements for the food of the workers at such places So that they do not have to burn wood and similar things as fuel for cooking food and there is no alternative smoke Also the construction sites will be saferrdquo the press release further stated