Mumbai’s deteriorating air quality has intensified scrutiny of construction and redevelopment projects, with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) enforcing pollution-control measures and retaining the power to suspend activities that fail to meet prescribed standards.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) indicates pollution levels and associated health risks. According to India’s classification, readings of 0–50 are good, 51–100 satisfactory, 101–200 moderate, 201–300 poor, 301–400 very poor and 401–500 severe.
Construction sites contribute to pollution through excavation, demolition, handling of building materials, debris transportation and vehicle movement. To limit dust emissions, the BMC has introduced 28-point guidelines, mandated real-time AQI monitoring at construction sites and deployed ward-level flying squads to check compliance.
Under the civic body’s standard operating procedure for the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), issued in November 2025, Stage IV measures are triggered when Mumbai’s city-level or local area-wise AQI remains above 200 for three consecutive days. The framework allows restrictions on construction and other activities depending on pollution severity and duration.
According to a January 2026 report by Hindustan Times Real Estate, citing civic research organisation Praja Foundation, Mumbai’s AQI increased from 92 in 2019 to 125 in 2022. Readings have also exceeded 300 and 400 on several occasions over the past two years.
Poor air quality may influence property purchases, particularly near industrial facilities and power plants. However, developers say seasonal pollution does not necessarily shift demand significantly between neighbourhoods.
“A homebuyer in Worli may want to upgrade to a newer or better home in the same area, while someone in Borivali may prefer to move to another property in the vicinity. In a few cases, homeowners may relocate because of respiratory ailments linked to poor air quality, choosing areas with relatively better AQI. However, such cases are rare because moving to a different locality after living at the same address for a prolonged period is not easy,” a developer, who did not wish to be named, said.
Dinesh Doshi, a Navi Mumbai-based developer and president of NAREDCO Raigad, said pollution-control measures were a responsibility for builders.
“Addressing air pollution through measures such as water sprinkling and installing AQI monitors is also a moral responsibility for developers. Compliance may account for around 0.1% to 0.3% of the overall construction cost, certainly less than 1%. Navi Mumbai had clear skies 15 days ago, but the situation has since deteriorated. While pollution-control measures do not significantly increase construction costs, suspensions of construction activity can raise costs because of delays,” said Dinesh Doshi, a Navi Mumbai-based developer and president of NAREDCO Raigad, the apex body of real estate developers.
DLF managing director and CEO Ashok Tyagi said during the company’s October 17 Q2 FY27 earnings call that project completion schedules were not facing immediate challenges.
“But last quarter and possibly this quarter (Q3) could see a slight blip in construction outflows,” Tyagi said. He attributed the potential impact to the festive season and GRAP restrictions.
Source: Hindustan Times
