November 21, 2025: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued a strong warning that industries and construction activities in any Mumbai locality will be halted if the Air Quality Index (AQI) continues to remain above 200, even after mitigation steps are undertaken. The move falls under the provisions of GRAP-4, the most stringent stage of the Graded Response Action Plan, invoked only when all other pollution-control measures fail to improve air quality.
According to BMC’s additional municipal commissioner Ashwini Joshi, all deputy municipal commissioners and assistant commissioners have been instructed to closely monitor AQI levels, enforce compliance, and take immediate corrective action where needed. To strengthen oversight, the civic body has deployed dedicated flying squads across every administrative ward. These teams will ensure adherence to the BMC’s 28-point pollution mitigation guidelines, keep track of sensor-based AQI monitors and LED boards at construction sites, and crack down on banned practices such as garbage burning and the use of wood as fuel.
Each squad consists of two ward engineers and one police officer, supported by a vehicle equipped with a Vehicle Tracking and Monitoring System.
Officials said the municipality is currently concentrating on enforcing pollution-control measures such as mandating cleaner fuel for bakeries and crematoriums, scientific disposal of construction waste, and large-scale misting and water spraying on roads to curb dust. The air pollution guidelines issued on October 15, 2024, also require construction sites to erect tin sheet barricades, cover structures with green cloth, conduct water sprinkling during demolition, manage debris scientifically, fog during loading and unloading of materials, and set up dust extraction and air-quality monitoring systems.
Last year, in December 2024, the BMC had invoked several GRAP-4 restrictions in Borivli and Byculla due to severe air pollution, leading to a temporary halt in construction activities in these zones.
