Air quality concerns: Bursting of firecrackers in Mumbai only till 10 pm on Diwali, says BMC

On Monday, Mumbai’s AQI stood astatine 126, which is regarded arsenic “moderate”. Of the 22 AQI monitoring stations, 20 showed mean AQI, portion 1 presumption recorded “poor” and “satisfactory” AQI readings.

Pockets specified arsenic Deonar continued to grounds “poor” AQI of 204, followed by 190 successful Byculla, 173 successful Malad, 146 successful Mazgaon, 143 successful Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) AND 128 successful Borivali (East). Sion recorded satisfactory aerial of 68.

In 2023, aft a monolithic deterioration of AQI, the Bombay High Court (HC) directed that bursting of crackers should beryllium allowed lone betwixt 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. connected Diwali. However, this regularisation was flouted by citizens and the adjacent morning, Mumbai’s AQI touched 190.

“Besides appealing to citizens, we person besides deployed crushed level teams successful each the 26 municipal wards who volition show particulate mitigation norms. Over the past 1 week, we person sent notices to much than 15 contractors, mostly successful Andheri and Bandra implicit flouting BMC norms,” said an authoritative connected Monday.

Besides taking enactment against large-scale violators specified arsenic existent developers and contractors assigned for executing infrastructure works, the civic assemblage connected Monday mandated that enactment should beryllium taken against unfastened burning of firewood and coagulated discarded astatine nationalist places.

Mumbai municipal commissioner and state-appointed administrator, Bhushan Gagrani has instructed the ward officials to instal CCTVs successful operation sites, to grounds whether each the particulate mitigation norms are being followed.

“All the operation sites should instal sensor-based AQI monitoring systems. Activities similar grinding, cutting, sawing and trimming of rocks and stones should besides not beryllium carried retired successful unfastened spaces, without erecting protective sheets to forestall displacement of dust,” the BMC stated.

“Every operation tract should person a conveyance washing installation acceptable and the roads of Mumbai should beryllium washed routinely to debar displacement of particulate particles,” the BMC connection read.

Dr Gufran Beig, chair-professor of National Institute of Advance Sciences (NIAS), said that the city’s AQI has worsened owing to the slowdown of upwind movement. He besides said that successful the coming days, the aerial prime whitethorn worsen arsenic determination is simply a anticipation of emergence of a La-Nina situation, which refers to a upwind improvement that occurs erstwhile the water aboveground temperatures dip.

“At present, the metropolis is undergoing a seasonal shift, monsoon withdrawal has taken place, and the process of upwind reversal has go slower. Therefore, the frequence successful which oversea breeze should regenerate onshore breeze has been reduced, owed to which the onshore breeze consisting of particulate matters is trapped successful the city’s atmosphere, starring to deterioration of air,” Beig told The Indian Express.

“In 2022, Mumbai recorded mediocre AQI, majorly owed to a La-Nina situation. According to the World Meteorology Organisation (WMO), determination is simply a 55 per cent accidental of La-Nina settling successful betwixt October and November. If that happens, Mumbai’s AQI whitethorn dip further,” Beig said.