MUMBAI: With BMC issuing new air quality guidelines for construction sites in the city, ward officers, who are supposed to ensure their effective implementation on the ground, cautioned that it would take at least two weeks before the mandated 35fthigh iron barricades or CCTV cameras are installed.
Most of the ward officers, whom TOI spoke with, indicated that this week they will focus on sensitising construction site operators and enforcement of rules will follow, hence there may not be immediate improvement in the city’s air quality.
Some of the wards have already dashed off letters to construction sites, asking them to immediately undertake dust-mitigation measures. “We have started visiting construction sites, including SRA housing projects and roads and bridges works, and issuing them warning letters,” said a ward officer, who did not want to be identified.
Mumbai has about 6,000 ongoing construction projects — both private and pub lic. With the city’s average air quality deteriorating since last week, BMC chief I S Chahal, on Friday, had issued new rules for construction sites, following a call from the PMO to CM Ekanth Shinde asking him to take steps to prevent pollution in Mumbai. The guidelines are more stringent than the ones issued in March, on which compliance reports were submitted by just four of Mumbai’s 24 wards.
The new provisions mandate 35ft-high iron sheet en closures, tarpaulin or jute covering, sprinkler system and anti-smog gun installations, CCTV coverage to keep a check on overloaded trucks and debris handling, and expert evaluation of pollution sources like refineries, power plants and fertiliser units, and AQI monitoring systems. Chahal had also instructed ward officials to conduct daily inspections at a minimum of two construction sites, make videos of violations and issue stopwork notices onsite.
A ward officer from the eastern suburbs emphasized the importance of builders becoming acquainted with the mandated dust-mitigation measures for effective implementation, and not to pass the buck to the onsite supervisor and workers. BMC authorities said they will meet with developer bodies to ensure that they take the directives seriously.
Another ward officer pointed out that weekly actiontaken reports would be difficult to generate as they are already overburdened. “It would help if the squads that inspect work sites, especially public projects like Metro or road works, include members of the agency concerned to aid in follow-ups with the contractor, spot violations and take action, if required.”
Ward officers also suggested roping in police, especially in incidents involving illegal debris dumping on roads at night. “We could tap into the police’s extensive CCTV network to apprehend the perpetrators. Filing FIRs against them would also amplify the message sent out,” said an officer.
Most of the ward officers, whom TOI spoke with, indicated that this week they will focus on sensitising construction site operators and enforcement of rules will follow, hence there may not be immediate improvement in the city’s air quality.
Some of the wards have already dashed off letters to construction sites, asking them to immediately undertake dust-mitigation measures. “We have started visiting construction sites, including SRA housing projects and roads and bridges works, and issuing them warning letters,” said a ward officer, who did not want to be identified.
Mumbai has about 6,000 ongoing construction projects — both private and pub lic. With the city’s average air quality deteriorating since last week, BMC chief I S Chahal, on Friday, had issued new rules for construction sites, following a call from the PMO to CM Ekanth Shinde asking him to take steps to prevent pollution in Mumbai. The guidelines are more stringent than the ones issued in March, on which compliance reports were submitted by just four of Mumbai’s 24 wards.
The new provisions mandate 35ft-high iron sheet en closures, tarpaulin or jute covering, sprinkler system and anti-smog gun installations, CCTV coverage to keep a check on overloaded trucks and debris handling, and expert evaluation of pollution sources like refineries, power plants and fertiliser units, and AQI monitoring systems. Chahal had also instructed ward officials to conduct daily inspections at a minimum of two construction sites, make videos of violations and issue stopwork notices onsite.
A ward officer from the eastern suburbs emphasized the importance of builders becoming acquainted with the mandated dust-mitigation measures for effective implementation, and not to pass the buck to the onsite supervisor and workers. BMC authorities said they will meet with developer bodies to ensure that they take the directives seriously.
Another ward officer pointed out that weekly actiontaken reports would be difficult to generate as they are already overburdened. “It would help if the squads that inspect work sites, especially public projects like Metro or road works, include members of the agency concerned to aid in follow-ups with the contractor, spot violations and take action, if required.”
Ward officers also suggested roping in police, especially in incidents involving illegal debris dumping on roads at night. “We could tap into the police’s extensive CCTV network to apprehend the perpetrators. Filing FIRs against them would also amplify the message sent out,” said an officer.
