Mumbai air turns poor after Diwali, but site boards show 'satisfactory' readings, says Awaaz Foundation

Fewer firecrackers were burst in Mumbai on Lakshmi Puja day, but the air turned very bad. A report by Awaaz Foundation says the boards put up at construction sites to measure pollution are giving people wrong information.

Foundation convener Sumaira Abdulali has sent the report of an inspection carried out on the night of Lakshmi Puja, November 8, to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the municipal commissioner and the pollution control board.

According to the report, between 8 pm and 11.15 pm only sporadic firecrackers were burst in Bandra, Mahim, Dadar, Shivaji Park, Prabhadevi, Worli, Haji Ali, Marine Drive, Cuffe Parade and Colaba. Most were light-emitting crackers such as sparklers, flowerpots and chakris. At Carter Road, crackers were still being burst at 11.15 pm, beyond the permitted time, and police were stopping them. Countless complaints of firecrackers being burst from 10 pm to 6 am came in from the western and eastern suburbs. The night-time limit in residential areas is 45 decibels.

At 9.34 pm on November 8, Mumbai's PM2.5 reached 192 micrograms per cubic metre. On the morning of November 9, the CPCB's Bandra Reclamation and Kala Nagar stations recorded an AQI of 231, which is "Poor". But the same morning, monitors at 14 construction sites in Bandra-Khar showed an average PM2.5 of 50.4 micrograms per cubic metre, which falls in the "Satisfactory" category.

The highest figure on these boards was 86, at Union Park Road. That too is below the CPCB range of 91 to 120. One board on Turner Road was completely blank, while another was showing the reading from October 11. The board at Pali Hill had been stuck since 6.45 am. One board showed a temperature of 45 degrees Celsius at 8.42 am.

Mumbai's Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at roughly between 103 and 278. In some areas, including Bhandup, Andheri, Bandra and Kherwadi, it reached 264 to 278. People are facing considerable discomfort. Asthma patients, small children and the elderly may experience difficulty in breathing or restlessness.

Awaaz Foundation has made four demands. First, that the 10 pm deadline be strictly enforced and action be taken against those bursting crackers on rooftops. Second, that mobile monitoring vans be sent to areas such as Bandra-Khar. Third, that a website be created on which the data of every site can be checked against CPCB figures in real time. Fourth, that faulty boards be repaired immediately or removed.