Mumbai, Oct 23 (PTI) Maharashtra Environment Minister Pankaja Munde on Friday announced a clean air action programme for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), with a focus on controlling road dust, regulating construction debris transportation and disposal, and curbing industrial and vehicular pollution.
“Integrated measures will be planned for the MMR through a clean air action programme. Special efforts will be made to reduce road dust, including the use of vacuum cleaning machines, sprinkling water through sprinklers and making it mandatory to completely cover vehicles transporting construction debris,” Munde said.
She was speaking after chairing a meeting to review measures to tackle air pollution in Mumbai and its surrounding areas.
Senior officials from the environment department, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), transport department and civic bodies, including those in Mumbai and Panvel, attended the meeting. Commissioners of municipal corporations across the region participated virtually.
Munde said road dust and dust resuspended by vehicular movement contribute significantly to air pollution, requiring a change in conventional road-cleaning practices.
“Merely sweeping dust to one side does not reduce pollution,” she said.
The minister directed civic bodies to increase the use of vacuum cleaning machines and explore the possibility of using treated wastewater for sprinkling roads.
She also asked municipal corporations to procure the necessary equipment and adopt technological solutions for road cleaning, dust control and regular pollution monitoring. The authorities should also explore measures to control dust in open grounds on school and college premises, she said.
On construction debris management, Munde directed traffic police to strictly enforce rules governing vehicles transporting construction material. Vehicles found violating the norms should not be allowed to proceed until they comply with the requirements, rather than being let off after paying a fine, she said.
With extensive construction and redevelopment underway across the MMR, the minister stressed the need for a coordinated system for collecting, transporting, processing and recycling construction debris.
She said civic bodies should explore the joint use of available land for debris disposal and develop dedicated facilities to process the material for reuse in construction.
The government will attempt to prepare guidelines on the issue within the next 15 to 20 days, Munde said, adding that separate meetings would be held with the civic bodies of Panvel, Kalyan and Mumbai, among others, to understand their difficulties.
On industrial pollution, she directed the MPCB to ensure that industries comply with environmental norms in practice and not merely during inspections. Strict action should be taken against units that repeatedly violate regulations despite inspections, she said.
However, shutting down every industrial unit was not the objective, and the emphasis should be on ensuring necessary corrective measures, Munde said.
She also called for increased inspections and follow-up visits to verify compliance, particularly in industrial areas where outdated machinery and production processes contribute to pollution.
The use of electric vehicles, availability of electric buses for public transport and proper utilisation of funds sanctioned under the National Clean Air Programme also came up for discussion.
Munde called for technical studies on urban green measures, including rooftop gardens, environmentally friendly changes in building design and dust-control measures in open spaces, to mitigate the impact of expanding construction activity and cement roads.
She said Mumbai’s coastal location helped air circulation but the authorities could not rely solely on natural conditions to reduce pollution. All municipal corporations and relevant departments must jointly prepare and effectively implement an action plan to address road dust, construction debris, vehicular emissions and industrial pollution, she said.
During the meeting, civic commissioners highlighted local challenges. Mira-Bhayandar reported a shortage of sites for construction debris disposal and discussed the possibility of jointly using available land in Mumbai or Thane.
Officials from Navi Mumbai flagged dust-control challenges arising from construction around the airport, redevelopment in industrial areas and traffic on national highways.
The Kalyan-Dombivli civic body raised concerns over the unauthorised transportation of construction debris at night and the dumping of debris in mangrove areas, besides seeking police assistance to curb such activities. The meeting also discussed coordination with the regional transport department and police to remove abandoned vehicles parked along roadsides. PTI ND NP
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.