Clean Air Action Programme to cut pollution across Mumbai Metropolitan Region, says Pankaja Munde

Strict steps will be taken to reduce air pollution in Mumbai and surrounding areas. The aim is to control road dust, the transport and disposal of construction debris, industrial pollution and pollution from vehicles. Environment and Climate Change Minister Pankaja Munde said integrated measures would be taken for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region through the Clean Air Action Programme.

A meeting on the subject was held under Munde's chairmanship. It was attended by Jayashree Bhoj, Secretary of the Environment and Climate Change Department; Rahul Rekhawar, Member Secretary of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board; Avinash Dhakne, Additional Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation; Mangesh Chitale, Commissioner of the Panvel Municipal Corporation; and several other officials. Commissioners of all municipal corporations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region joined the meeting by video conferencing.

Road dust causes heavy pollution. Referring to the information presented at the meeting, Munde said special attention was needed to road dust and to dust that vehicles throw back into the air. She said these factors play a major role in pollution, so the way roads are cleaned would have to change. Merely sweeping with brooms does not reduce pollution, she said, so the use of vacuum cleaning machines should be increased. She also said consideration should be given to whether treated sewage water can be used in sprinklers for spraying water.

Munde also suggested that municipal corporations provide the machinery needed to reduce air pollution. Technical methods should be used for cleaning roads, keeping dust under control and monitoring pollution regularly. She suggested that suitable measures also be taken to reduce dust in the open grounds of schools and colleges.

The meeting also raised the point that strict rules are needed for transporting debris. Construction and redevelopment work is under way on a large scale in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and the transport and disposal of the debris it generates is an important issue in pollution control. Vehicles carrying debris must have construction material fully covered. Munde suggested to the traffic police department that, instead of merely imposing fines on vehicles that break the rules, they should not be allowed to proceed until the required conditions are met. The traffic police department was also directed to enforce the existing rules strictly.