Mumbai: After Worli recorded an AQI of 278 around 4pm on Friday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recommended issuing stop work notices to 12 construction sites within the jurisdiction of the G-South Ward office. While Worli’s Air Quality Index (AQI) had slipped into the ‘poor’ category, the rest of Mumbai stood at a moderate 130 on Friday according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
The 12 sites include the sewage treatment plant (STP) where the BMC is carrying out work, as well as repairs to the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) building.
A civic official tried to justify the high AQI in Worli by saying that the AQI monitor was located near a construction area. “The CAAQMS (Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station) station at Worli is located within the NEERI building premises, where renovation work is ongoing. That is why it is registering such high figures,” the civic official said.
Civic officials checked 25 sites on Friday, used 11 tankers for deep cleaning and used mist machines at six locations. “At Worli, the major pollutant is Ozone, which is a secondary pollutant and a compound formed due to chemical reactions between volatile organic compounds and vehicular exhaust in the presence of sunlight and humidity,” an official explained.
Although the skies were hazy throughout the day, an official from the BMC’s environment and climate change department said it is a regular winter phenomenon due to higher humidity. Currently, construction work is going on at 2,224 construction sites of which 1,206 have been served with stop work notices for non-compliance with air monitoring norms.
