“The Pessimist Sees Difficulty In Every Opportunity. The Optimist Sees Opportunity In Every Difficulty.”

Sadly, it is almost forgotten that it was less than a decade ago that a report of the World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared Mumbai as the fourth most polluted metropolis in the world. At that time, some experts had expressed reservations over the disturbing findings. The report, WHO said, had taken into account the particulate matter(PM) pollutants in the air and the rankings were based on PM 2.5 as well as PM 10 levels. The bone of contention was that while the Indian threshold limit for PM 2.5 is 40 microgram per cubic metre, the WHO norm was 10 microgram. At the time, there was a heated debate about the validity of the findings, claiming that they were based on different norms, not on Indian.

Even then, experts had alerted that rather than blaming or just ignoring the report,  an independent expert committee was needed to be appointed, assigned with the dual task : study the present situation of air quality and also consider the future scenario. An expert in the field had stated in unambiguous words that the construction activity increase was inevitable with several giant infrastructure projects already undertaken. Strict preventive action must be taken to curb air pollution, especially in metros like Mumbai.

What about the measures announced earlier is the question the rulers must ask themselves. The warning signals were visible for years. Time and again, Mumbai has breathed worst air. The administration had promised to implement a two-pronged strategy : short term and long term. This was to ensure that Mumbai could breathe clean air through the year. The short term measures are visible now. In some places, anti-dust machines are noticed. Some roads are washed with water. But are these enough to guarantee public health of international standards, the government must clarify. A long-term solution will require much more seriousness, laced with research.

The alarm was heard though it was confined to only a handful of public-minded residents of Mumbai. They were mostly ridiculed by calling their crusade a fad. But it was because of such volunteers that some action is seen against the increasing pollution levels. Their only demand to the government was that the authorities should take urgent steps to control pollution. One of the factors most responsible for pollution, according to them, was the rampant construction activity without any checks. As Mumbai continues to be a booming real estate market, a steady increase of home demand is seen every succeeding year. To cater to this swelling population, it becomes necessary to develop public infrastructure and business construction in every nook and corner of Mumbai.

The state government and the BMC were required to respond to the air pollution as a public health challenge. Unfortunately, after the Covid-19 pandemic, the original passive approach resumed. In our country, deaths occurred on account of air pollution are not considered serious. In fact, some other reason is mention as cause of death. The WHO estimates show that millions of premature deaths take place every year associated because of air pollution. India’s rank in this list is quite high and Delhi and Mumbai top the roll of honour.

In the BMC’s seven-step plan to combat air pollution, called the Air Pollution Mitigation Action Plan (APMAP), Rs 25 crore or just about half per cent of its annual budget of Rs 52,619 crore for 2023-24 has been set aside. BMC administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal announced that “better practices” will be adopted for construction and demolition of buildings, specific measures to reduce dust on roads, creation of urban greenery, encouragement of clean transportation and sustainable waste management practices, and so on.

At this stage, when ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ AQI days abound, the BMC is still planning to set up dedicated air quality monitoring units at the ward level, install 14 air purifier towers each of which can purify air within a one-kilometre radius, and mount air purifying filters at five locations which record high amounts of carbon emissions due to heavy vehicular movement such as the Dahisar and Mulund toll nakas, Kalanagar, and Haji Ali.

More data will help localise the issue because not all areas of Mumbai are equally polluted. On a given day, when the average AQI for the city hovers in the 200s, there are areas relatively cleaner with an AQI of 80-100 and areas far more polluted with AQI of 300+ such as Andheri East and Bandra-Kurla Complex.

It must be noted that these are still plans on paper; action is still some distance away. Besides, the experience of the cities which fitted air purifying towers or filters is that they offer limited respite and cannot constitute long-term resolution of the problem. Even if all the relief measures announced are implemented, it would be a classic case of band-aid on a deep bleeding wound, considering how widespread and deep-rooted the problem is.

What is appalling is that the BMC has not seen it fit to inform Mumbaikars on a regular basis of the pollution levels in areas across the city, and the steps it will take as part of the emergency response mechanism. Like Delhi’s Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), a set of measures mapped to the AQI categories such as ban on construction during bad days, it was possible for Mumbai and Mumbai Metropolitan Region to adopt their own. In fact, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) had drafted a plan two years ago. Why was the GRAP not implemented, why did the BMC ignore warnings of high pollution this year?

Ecological plan: Mumbai needs a comprehensive, far-reaching, and inclusive plan to address air pollution in a meaningful way. The need of the hour is an Ecological Plan, on the lines of the city’s Development Plan 2034, which can map all its natural areas, chart ecological goals, and decide steps to conserve these areas in ten-year and 20-year periods.

The Ecological Plan must have clear no-go areas where all ‘development’ which threatens ecological balance and diversity is proscribed, set down air and water pollution parameters which cannot be breached (construction activities must not be allowed between November and February when the air quality is ‘very poor’), lay down a roadmap to increase the tree cover. Officials at ward levels must be made accountable for the natural areas in their wards. The Ecological Plan would be more comprehensive than the city’s Climate Action Plan; it must inform the Development Plan.