Mumbai: The city witnessed smog-like conditions for several days recently as temperatures dropped continuously, reducing visibility and making breathing difficult for many residents.
While the overall air quality index (AQI) has been in the “moderate” category during the past week, pollution levels in several areas including Deonar, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Colaba and Worli fell into the “poor” and “very poor” categories in mid-November. Experts have attributed the decline to a sharp rise in PM10 levels due to construction dust, with vehicular emissions further increasing PM2.5 concentrations.
Amid deteriorating air quality and growing public concern, the Bombay High Court on November 28 constituted a five-member committee to inspect construction sites and ensure implementation of pollution-control norms. The panel, comprising officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and the state public health department, has been directed to audit the compliance and submit its report by December 15. In parallel, BMC has deployed 95 flying squads across Mumbai to monitor construction sites and curb violations.
To assess ground-level compliance, HT visited five government-led construction and demolition sites across the city to assess whether they were following dust-mitigation rules set by the Central Pollution Control Board and the BMC.
Bhagwan Kesbhat, founder of NGO Vatavaran, said, “Although private players have started partially following the norms, government agencies, which outsource projects to contractors, need to pay more attention to the guidelines. The major projects are in areas with high citizen movement, and if the government agencies themselves are not following the norms, how will they ensure that others follow them?”
A senior BMC official told HT, “We have issued notices to all government implementing agencies, and our squads are regularly monitoring the areas. However, there are many big projects, and sometimes we may have missed them. Now we will strengthen our action. We will send stop work notices to any government agency violating pollution control norms.”
“We have given 28-point guidelines to the BMC to follow, which the project agencies will have to implement. Ensuring compliance falls within the purview of the BMC,” a senior MPCB official told HT.
New HC project hit by debris, dust violations
Spread over 30 acres, construction of the new Bombay High Court complex in Bandra East is yet to begin, while the demolition of 370 old, dilapidated buildings on the plot is almost complete.
On 5 November, former Chief Justice of India BR Gavai laid its foundation stone. ₹3,700 crore High Court complex, with a proposed built-up area of over 6 million square feet. Demolition work is going on from 2024.
When HT visited the site on Tuesday, demolition debris was scattered across the plot, with several trees also crushed in the process. Several violations of pollution control norms were observed, including torn green mesh netting meant for demolition dust, uncleared debris and absence of water sprinkling generally required during demolition.
According to the rules, demolition sites should be surrounded by high wind-proof sheets of tin or metal covered with green cloth or tarpaulin. Water fogging should be done regularly, crushing of waste should be avoided on site, and construction and demolition debris should be taken only to designated dumping sites.
Instead, debris was piled up across the entire stretch, while a portion cleared during the Bhoomi Pujan was used as a parking lot. The site is located near residential buildings and commercial establishments, and residents said the dust has seriously affected them.
A shopkeeper next to the site said, “Last month, we had to close shop for the entire day due to excessive demolition dust. There was no scaffolding there. They pour water on the road once a day and continue the work. Even the trucks carrying the debris do not have lids. We were unable to breathe during most of the demolition period.”
HT did not observe AQI monitors at the site, while dust and silt were clearly blowing on the road. “We lift the scaffolding only when officials come for inspection. We add water only when the concrete is being set, otherwise we don’t,” said a worker at the site.
Officials from the state Public Works Department (PWD), which is overseeing the project, said, “The demolition work has been completed, and the debris has been removed. Since we have now been informed that debris remains, we will send a team for inspection.”
Dust rises at BKC Bullet Train site despite BMC notice
The upcoming Bullet Train Terminal near Bandra-Kurla Complex, one of the city’s biggest ongoing infrastructure projects, received a show cause notice from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on December 1 for violating air quality norms. Nevertheless, several deficiencies were noticed during a site visit by HT on Monday.
There was inadequate scaffolding on one part, and tin sheets without green cloth on the other part. There were no air quality monitors on display, and construction debris was dumped along the banks of a nearby canal. A thick layer of dust covered the surrounding area, including most of the vehicles parked nearby.
Arif Sheikh, a cab driver waiting for a passenger near the site, said, “I have severe breathing problems when I come to this place. I parked the car here for two hours, and it was extensively covered in dust. My skin was burning and my eyes were also watering.”
Another auto driver, requesting anonymity, said, “Workers regularly move construction material in and out, but there are no covers on the trucks. Dust blows everywhere. They hardly water the area outside; no sprinklers are present. They just pour debris out, and we have to inhale the dust.” An employee at the site also confirmed that none of the water sprinkler equipment was currently operational.
Responding to queries, an official of the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) said, “All guidelines issued by the local authorities are being complied with, and we will ensure that all dust mitigation measures such as mist guns and air quality measures are being used at the construction site.”
Heritage Crime Branch flouted rules and regulations!
The 117-year-old stone building in Crawford Market that once housed the Mumbai Police crime branch was demolished last week, sparking not only nostalgia for its heritage but also concerns over dust-control violations during the process. The demolition work is being carried out by the Public Works Department (PWD), but residents said dust mitigation guidelines were poorly followed.
Residents and shopkeepers said that during the demolition, no green cloth or tin-sheet scaffolding was used, and no water sprinkling devices were installed. When HT visited the site on Tuesday, a portion of the site had been covered with green cloth, and an AQI monitor had been installed. However, the debris was being transported in uncovered trucks and the debris remained at the site for several days. No mist guns or sprinklers, which are mandatory under both CPCB and BMC norms, were in use.
A police officer posted at the entrance said, “We work in shifts here. No water has been poured today and there is a lot of dust. There is debris lying around the site. We were having trouble breathing today.”
When contacted, a PWD official, requesting anonymity, said, “We visited the site a month ago, and some scaffolding was present there. Now, I will personally visit the site and inspect.”
Environmental activist Gyan Chaddha, who was present during HT’s visit, said, “There are guidelines including tin sheets, water sprinkling, proper scaffolding, monitoring of AQI and PM10. They have not done that. If government officials violate the norms, how will they enforce them on private sites?”
Elphinstone Bridge demolition suffocates daily commuters
Demolition work on the 112-year-old Elphinstone Bridge has been going on since September 12, but much of the work has been done with little adherence to dust-control norms.
Over the past three months, HT has observed that there is minimal or no scaffolding using tin sheets or green cloth, no misting guns or water tankers, and scattered debris and old stone blocks along the roadside, despite the area seeing heavy daily footfall of railway passengers and office goers.
During a visit Wednesday, scaffolding was finally put in place, but only partially. There were still piles of debris all around, there was dust on the road and loud sounds of demolition continued. No AQI monitors were visible.
A shopkeeper near the site said, “During the demolition work, they pour water on the road only once in the morning. Every day, we breathe in a thick cloud of dust as the work continues into the night. Everything in the shop is covered in dust. The scaffolding is hardly adequate, as the dust blows on it. Instead they require large tarpaulin covers.”
An office goer who frequently passes through this area said, “This scaffolding has come up after many days. If we come out for leave, we have to face noise and dust, and go back coughing. It becomes difficult to breathe. We have to cover our faces and walk through the debris.”
Residents also said that the debris was being transported in trucks without covering it. MMRDA, which is executing the project, did not respond to HT’s calls or messages.
Govandi is gasping due to road construction work
While mega infrastructure projects dominate pollution discussions, smaller local operations are quietly suffocating neighborhoods every day. At Baiganwadi in Govandi, a 30-metre road project initiated by the BMC has been going on for almost two months, with several dust mitigation norms clearly violated.
During HT’s visit on Wednesday, there were no scaffold sheets or barricades, no AQI monitors, and no project information boards displayed. The debris from the excavation was scattered on the roadside, no fogging or water sprinkling was going on, causing fine dust to settle inside houses and shops.
A resident, requesting anonymity, said, “I am having serious breathing problems, as this area is heavily polluted most of the time. Ever since construction started, dust has been entering our houses and settling on the floors every day. We breathe it in; it is on our utensils, and I can hardly take a deep breath now.”
“Deonar and Govandi are already suffering from heavily polluted air. Most of the residents here have respiratory problems. This is the area where authorities should take maximum precautions, but they take it lightly,” said Faiyaz Alam Shaikh, convenor of Govandi Nagarik Kalyan Manch.
Responding to the complaints, a senior BMC official requesting anonymity said, “As we are receiving complaints, we are also visiting sites and stopping work. Our flying squads are working to ensure that both government and private agencies comply with the dust mitigation norms.”
