What’s ailing Mumbai’s air? We can’t blame it on the farmers

In the absence of wind, which helps disperse particulate matter, and because of ongoing infrastructure activities across the city, AQI levels have been hovering between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’

When the Great Smog of London affected the United Kingdom’s capital for four days in December 1952 due to intense air pollution, it is widely believed that the then newly crowned Queen Elizabeth attributed it to God’s will. The practical reasons, however, were many. For one, Londoners had started using cheap coal to keep themselves warm because good quality coal, such as anthracite, was exported to neutralise the World War 2 debts. It didn’t help that vehicular emissions, combined with the still, cold air, kept the pollutants in the air longer. By government estimates, more than a million people were injured and nearly 12,000 killed. 

While the Great Smog of London stunned the residents at that time, even as the reasons were pretty clear, a similar situation seems to be unfolding in Mumbai where the Air Quality Index has surprisingly reached beyond Delhi, too. But, as with The Great Smog, the reasons are out there for all of us to see.

Over the past few days, the Central Pollution Control Board has reported that the Air Quality Index (AQI) in various parts of Mumbai, such as Chembur, Mazagaon, and Bandra-Kurla Complex, has dangerously inched towards the 'poor' and 'very poor' category of the index, way worse than Delhi’s otherwise notorious AQI levels.

On the face of it, this is a surprising anomaly. A cursory understanding of the situation will tell you that Mumbai is a coastal city with high humidity and a coastal breeze that helps disperse particulate matter. Also, the temperatures don’t dip as dramatically as they do in Delhi. We can’t blame the farmers in and around Mumbai because no one’s burning stubble. Mumbai, unlike Delhi, doesn’t find itself in a geographically disadvantageous position either—there is plenty of room for the air to move around. So what has caused this recent spike? 

The many faces of recklessness 

Stalin, of the non-profit organisation Vanashakti in Mumbai, has been battling the ignorance and lackadaisical attitude of the city's civic bodies for years together. Not long ago, the state environment department, acting on his letter to protect the wetlands and birds of Sewri, had directed the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board to inspect the area. Vanashakti's Public Interest Litigation (PIL) also led to the Bombay High Court ruling, which banned all construction on the city's wetlands. 

As far as Mumbai’s toxic air is concerned, Stalin tells The Established that there are primary issues at the heart of it. The first, he says, is the "city corporation's obsession to concretise all roads at the same time." He says this will not only damage the environment in the long run but also significantly contributes to the emergence of Suspended Particulate Material (SPM) responsible for the smog. 

"The SPM comprises vehicular emissions which are let out due to road congestion. These emissions include harmful gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, which we end up breathing," he says. 

Stalin also says there is a lack of sprinklers at almost any construction site—a mandatory rule for such sites to follow to prevent construction dust from remaining suspended in the air. "Unfortunately, our state pollution control board doesn't take cognisance of such matters. They are hopelessly understaffed and can't hold a single construction site to account and make them follow the rules."

Despite multiple attempts to contact the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) by The Established, there was no response. 

Stalin says it does not help that one of Asia's largest landfills is also in the Kanjurmarg locality of Mumbai—further releasing methane and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) into the city's air, in addition to the SPM and vehicular emissions. In the past, the Bombay High Court had ordered the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to stop dumping waste in the Kanjurmarg landfill for a brief period, based on a PIL by Vanashakti. 

Battling toxicity 

The health implications of breathing toxic air in the city are already causing panic among the elderly and those with pre-existing respiratory issues. Leslie Noronha, a 58-year-old homemaker based in the Dahisar locality of Mumbai, says that she has all but stopped stepping out, as the poor air quality triggers her asthma. “It’s like being caged in your home and there is nothing you can do about it. I do keep my indoor air purifier switched on at all times. But it is not lost on me that this is a privilege not many of the asthma patients in Mumbai have,” she shares.  

Mumbai-based pulmonologist Dr Prahlad Prabhudesai says wearing a mask or using air purifiers is not enough to safeguard the city from deteriorating air quality. The solutions, he believes, need to be more systemic and long-term.

“This leads to a chronic cough, methane in the air leads to watery eyes, and the SPM goes all the way to your nose, throat and lungs,” he says. “It is also important to note that this might affect and lead to pulmonary complications and cardiovascular issues. It could affect your immune system, making you more vulnerable to viral and bacterial infections.”

The way Prabhudesai sees it, the government can alleviate the situation if the existing construction in the city is managed better. Apart from ensuring that the rules quoted by Dayanand are followed, the BMC needs more efficient and transparent communication.

“Often, a road will be closed suddenly without any prior notice, and the cars, always running in the first or second gears, thus creating more emissions, will then take a U-then, adding to the pollution and traffic congestion,” says Prabhudesai. 

Stalin, for his part, finds it ironic that the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), which is tasked with the health and well-being of the city, does not hold the people manning these construction sites accountable. “They are also chopping down small trees and shrubs that can otherwise filter out and absorb dust and pollution. Now you see dust accumulating on the leaves of taller trees,” he says.  

Over the next few days, until 16 December, many arterial roads in the city will be shut to allow for the smooth movement of G20 Summit vehicles, thus raising concerns that the bad air quality could only rise exponentially.

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