Mumbai: Final anti-pollution guidelines issued, task forces to hit streets soon

Malad is shrouded by a dense veil of smog on October 20. Pic/Nimesh Dave

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued final anti-pollution guidelines for construction sites and industries. The civic body's ward-level task forces, accompanied by police officers, will start making rounds in the next two to three days. These squads can issue stop-work notices and seal off work sites immediately.

Civic chief I S Chahal has ordered all ward officers to deploy the squads to prevent the illegal dumping of construction waste late at night.

On Friday, Chahal had held a meeting with officials and all authorities to tackle the pollution menace. On Wednesday, he issued the final guidelines according to which each ward will have a four-member committee. The number of task force teams in each ward will depend on their size. Small wards such A and B will have two teams. Mid-sized ones like N, T and M East will have four each and large ones like L, K West and K East will have six.

Each task force will comprise two engineers, a police officer and a marshal. Every team will be provided with vehicles and be led by a senior officer.

"We have issued orders to all ward officers. The task forces will start working in two to three days," said a BMC official.

The squads have been tasked with videographing work sites. If it is observed that provisions are not being adhered to, stringent action can be taken immediately.
According to a circular issued by the BMC, the timeline for the procurement of sprinklers and smog guns is 15 and 30 days respectively. Sensor-based air pollution monitors must be deployed at work sites and immediate action should be taken on observing that pollution levels are above the limit. This monitoring shall be made available for inspection to BMC authorities as and when demanded, the circular read.

Minister Speak

Guardian Minister Deepak Kesarkar said the BMC's dust-mitigation project will start showing results in two months. "I have visited Lucknow in the past. There is a machine that can cause tiny particles in the air to accumulate and deposit them on the ground. We need to look at the cost of such equipment. We also discussed this with IIT Bombay. The Parliament building has anti-virus filters but they are too costly," said Kesarkar.

He added, "Traffic as well as the Coastal Road, Metro rail and building construction, and dumping grounds are major contributors to air pollution. Microparticles are the major reason for air pollution in Mumbai. Gases from dumping grounds are a major concern. It is due to unscientific deposits of many years. We are trying to find a solution. Even the leachate is highly polluted."

Construction site rules

At least 35-foot-high metal sheets must be erected around the periphery of construction projects taller than 70 metres and with layouts over one acre. The height of these sheets for those less than one acre should be at least 25 metres. All the under-construction buildings have to be compulsorily enclosed by green cloth, jute sheets and tarpaulin from all sides. All the structures under demolition shall be covered with tarpaulin and green cloth jute sheet from top to bottom. There shall be a continuous spray of water, the circular read.

Water fogging must also be carried out during the loading and unloading of materials at construction sites using stationary or mobile anti-smog guns. Loose soil, sand, construction materials and debris have to be stored in a dedicated area and properly barricaded, fully protected with tarpaulins.

Vehicle, waste-related norms

All vehicles carrying construction material must be fully covered so that debris does not become airborne during transportation and the vehicle must not be overloaded. All construction sites must have CCTV cameras along the periphery of their work sites to ensure that vehicles ply only after their tyres are cleaned and they are not overloaded. Grinding, cutting, drilling, sawing and trimming work must be carried out in enclosed areas. Waste generated within the site of work must be transported to designated unloading sites strictly as per the BMC's construction and demolition (C&D) waste management plan. After unloading debris, vehicles must be washed and cleaned thoroughly. Vehicles carrying C&D material, if found not following guidelines vehicles will be seized and impounded. The transport commissioner will clamp down on the overloading of vehicles, uncovered vehicles and those spilling construction materials on roads. Developers have been ordered to engage only vehicles that have a tracking system.

Public infrastructure sites

According to the circular, "All the BMC work sites like bridges and flyovers shall have barricading of 25 feet. All the Metro works above ground shall be covered with barricading of 25 feet height. The construction site shall be covered with tarpaulin, green cloth, and jute sheet. The smog guns/water sprinklers shall be used during construction. Mitigation measures suggested by BMC are mandatory for all government agencies."

PSU industries

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) will monitor the air pollution emitted from industrial entities such as BPCL, HPCL, RCF, Tata Power, and industries in nearby MIDC daily for the next month and take appropriate action. The data must be shared with the additional municipal commissioner.