Pollution menace: Who will pull up the BMC?

While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started serving notices to construction sites over air pollution issues, their own work needs some regulation, citizens feel. The civic body is currently carrying out work on drains and footpaths on a 3-km stretch from Mahavir Nagar to Charkop in Kandivli. Although a few locations along the stretch have been fenced with metal boards, debris at the site is not covered or sprinkled with water, leading to dust spreading in the area.

Civic officials have issued around 1,000 notices across the city to construction sites to curb air pollution. This was after the civic body issued strict guidelines to keep pollution under control and even considered costly solutions like cloud seeding to settle dust in the air. However, locals are now complaining about the dust caused by the BMC's own work on public places such as roads.

The BMC has undertaken various project works after the monsoon. In Kandivli West, the roads are already converted to cement concrete and now the work of reconstruction of drains and footpaths is being carried out. The local residents do not have issues with the work, but say the dust caused by it spreads on roads and causes air pollution.

"We can understand the work is essential but the BMC itself has issued guidelines to curb dust at construction sites and it doesn't have control over its own contractors. Or is it that the air pollution control measures are restricted only to south Mumbai?" asked Sanjay Bhat, a resident of Charkop. The residents have been facing health issues due to the dust.

"Although fluctuations in temperature can cause cough and fever, I have been facing chronic cough and colds due to the dust in the air. I have paid thousands of rupees for treatment. No one has control over the interior work in flats but now even walking on the road has become difficult. I use a mask even if I have to go outside my home for five minutes. If the BMC takes some measures it can solve the issues faced by hundreds of people in the vicinity," said Arun Malaye, another resident of Charkop.

According to an officer from the BMC's roads department, all the contractors have been instructed to take utmost care in handling debris. "The debris has to be lifted within a day. Sometimes the quantity is not large enough to fill one truck. But if a complaint comes in we take immediate action," said the officer.

What BMC guidelines mandate

Open/loose soil, sand, construction materials and any kind and quantity of debris should be kept in a demarcated/dedicated area that is properly barricaded and fully covered/enclosed under a tarpaulin cover. It should be ensured that no construction materials and debris are dumped on public roads, sidewalks, footpaths and open spaces.

3 km
Stretch of road where work is underway