Mumbai civic commissioner issues stricter guidelines for construction sites, authorities to mitigate air pollution

BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani chaired a meeting with officials over steps to mitigate air pollution.

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 activities.

BMC has asked the authorities and builders to strictly follow these guidelines and SOPs.

Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Bhushan Gagrani also directed officials to ensure that BMC pays attention to smaller contributors to air pollution.

Efforts 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 stated.

The 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 monitored.

After 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 meeting.

Guidelines issued by Mumbai civic body

All the departments that were involved gave presentations during the meeting regarding the policies and actions that had been implemented at each level.

BMC released the following guidelines to reduce air pollution:

Installing sheet or metal cladding surrounding the construction project above 70 meters, with a minimum height of 35 feet, will be required of all project proponents.

Every 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 high.

Covering the sides of under-construction structures with green cloth, jute, or tarpaulin is recommended.

A 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 anti-smog 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 transported.

Every construction project work site should have sensor-based 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 officials.

Enforcement 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 immediately.

The 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 (City).

Open/loose 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 spaces.

At 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, sweeping.

There 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 burning.

"It 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 safer," the press release further stated.