As AQI improves, BMC may allow construction work in Borivali and Byculla soon

MPCB chairman Siddhesh Kadam (left) and civic chief Bhushan Gagrani address media at BMC headquarters on Friday. Pic/Kirti Surve Parade

As air quality is improving in Borivli East and Byculla, the BMC on Friday decided to monitor the situation for 24 hours before revoking the ban on work at construction sites. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has issued notices to the BMC and MMRDA for flouting guidelines.

Siddhesh Kadam, chairman of the MPCB, held a meeting with civic chied Bhushan Gagrani at the BMC headquarters. Addressing a press conference, Kadam, said the MPCB had issued notices to the BMC and MMRDA over the lapses in the pollution and dust-mitigation guidelines at the Coastal Road project site in Worli and the Bandra Kurla Complex Metro work site, respectively.

Earlier this week, the BMC stopped work on all construction sites in Borivli East and Byculla, Mumbai Central and Mazagaon as their AQI levels were above 200. "The air quality in these areas is improving. In Navy Nagar and Shivaji Nagar the AQI has reached 200. We will monitor the situation in these areas for a few more days before deciding about lifting the ban on construction work there," said Gagrani.

Meanwhile, the MPCB demanded detailed plans of sewage treatment plants in seven locations and the Deonar dumping project. "We have asked you to submit details of both projects. We came to know that the upgrade of the sewage treatment plant project will be completed by 2027. Till then, we have asked BMC to implement a temporary solution for the treatment of the sewage before discharging it in a natural source," said Kadam. He added that the civic body was closing down the Deonar dumping ground.

Notice to IITM

The MPCB also issued a notice to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) over the recalibration of its air quality monitoring station in Colaba. "We have set up a mobile monitoring station as we found differences in the AQI readings of the IITM and MPCB monitoring stations. We have also decided to depute mobile monitoring stations in different places of Mumbai," he added, advising IITM to use monitoring equipment approved by the MPCB or Central Pollution Control Board.