December 1, 2025: Despite a clear directive issued earlier this year, compliance with Mumbai’s mandatory air-quality monitoring norms at construction sites remains low. Fresh data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) shows that only 662 of the city’s 3,100 construction sites — barely 21 percent — have installed Air Quality Index (AQI) sensors, even though the civic body had made them compulsory. Officials added that installation work is underway at another 251 sites as part of ongoing enforcement.
The BMC had instructed all construction sites within its jurisdiction to not only install AQI sensors but also display live readings prominently on an LED board at the site’s entrance. The purpose of this requirement is to ensure on-ground monitoring so that when pollution levels enter the ‘unsafe’ or ‘poor’ category, contractors pause certain activities or adopt mitigation measures such as water sprinkling. Dust from construction activity was identified as one of the major contributors to Mumbai’s worsening air quality in the Mumbai Air Pollution Action Plan (MAPAP), prompting the civic body to tighten compliance norms.
To push adherence, the BMC has begun issuing notices to non-compliant developers. “For sites that are not following the rules, we are sending a ‘stop work’ notice. So far, we have sent 53 such notices to real estate firms across Mumbai,” said an official. The corporation has also deployed 450 junior officers who are conducting regular inspections to verify whether sensors are functional and whether AQI readings are being shown correctly. These officers are also maintaining records of sites yet to comply.
Meanwhile, Mumbai recorded an overall AQI of 113 on Monday, categorised as ‘moderate’, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Last week, the civic body imposed Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in pockets such as Mazgaon, Deonar, and Malad after these areas consistently reported poor AQI levels. GRAP includes four levels of restrictions, with Stage 4 being the basic tier and Stage 1 the most stringent.
Source: The Indian Express
