Mumbai air shows improvement as GRAP-4 sits unused for now
Mumbai air shows improvement as GRAP-4 sits unused for now
BMC reports cleaner air in Mumbai after new mitigation measures and says GRAP-4 is not currently applicable; 94 ward squads are monitoring compliance.
The Mumbai civic body says air quality has improved since November 26 thanks to a suite of pollution-control measures across the city and its suburbs. In a release, the BMC clarified that the Graded Response Action Plan Stage-4 (GRAP-4) is not applicable to Mumbai at present, even as monitoring is intensified.
Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani has directed officials to continue strict action against violations of the civic body's 28-point dust and pollution-mitigation guidelines at both private construction sites and government or private projects.
To enforce compliance, 94 ward-level flying squads have been formed to inspect private sites, road and metro project stretches, and to issue stop-work notices wherever violations are detected. The squads are also checking sensor-based AQI monitoring equipment at construction locations.
Measures such as notices to errant sites, misting, water sprinkling, road-washing, awareness drives, and the shift by bakeries and crematoria to cleaner fuels have contributed to the improvement in AQI over the past 48 hours.
A change in wind speed—from 3-4 kmph before November 28 to 10-18 kmph now—has aided the dispersion of pollutants, helping to keep the city’s air quality on an improving trajectory.
Officials have stressed continued vigilance and enforcement to sustain this improvement, with ongoing monitoring and enforcement actions across the city and its peripheral areas.
Cover image source: What's allowed and what's not as GRAP-4 imposed in Mumbai amid pollution spike 🔗
