Maharashtra Environment Minister Pankaja Munde on Friday announced a clean air action programme for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), as deteriorating air quality prompted authorities to strengthen measures against pollution from road dust, construction waste, industries and vehicles.
Chairing a meeting to assess pollution-control efforts across Mumbai and neighbouring areas, Munde said vehicles transporting construction materials or debris in violation of regulations should face penalties and remain detained until corrective action is taken.
Environment department officials said the programme would prioritise vacuum cleaning machines over conventional road sweeping and water sprinkling to control dust. Vehicles carrying construction debris would also be required to remain fully covered during transportation.
Munde highlighted the contribution of road dust, particularly particles stirred back into the air by moving vehicles, to worsening pollution. She called for improved road-cleaning methods and greater use of modern equipment.
“Simply sweeping dust to one side does not reduce pollution. The use of vacuum cleaning machines should be increased,” she said.
The minister directed municipal corporations across the MMR to purchase appropriate equipment and adopt technology-driven approaches for road cleaning, dust suppression and regular pollution monitoring.
The meeting also addressed the shortage of designated construction debris disposal sites faced by several civic bodies. Munde called for a coordinated mechanism covering waste collection, transportation, processing and recycling.
“Municipal corporations in Mumbai and the surrounding areas should explore the possibility of jointly using available sites. In addition to developing dedicated facilities for debris disposal, they should encourage the processing and reuse of construction waste in building activities,” she said.
Representatives from the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation highlighted the lack of dumping locations and asked whether facilities in Mumbai or Thane could be used. Navi Mumbai officials pointed to dust generated by airport-related construction, redevelopment in industrial areas and heavy traffic on national highways.
Kalyan-Dombivli officials raised concerns about construction debris being transported illegally at night and dumped in mangrove areas, seeking police assistance to prevent such violations.
The meeting was attended by senior environment, transport and pollution-control officials, along with representatives of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Panvel Municipal Corporation. Other civic commissioners participated through video conferencing.
Source: Hindustan Times
