BMC issues 28-point guidelines to curb Mumbai’s air pollution, deploys 76 squads to inspect construction sites

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC has outlined a series of measures to curb air pollution in Mumbai including a 28point set of guidelines for construction and demolition sites inspections by wardlevel squads and action against violationsAccording to a BMC press release Mumbai recorded 231 days in the lsquoGoodrsquo and lsquoSatisfactoryrsquo Air Quality Index AQI categories up to October 22 2026 compared with 218 days in 2025 216 in 2024 and 185 in 2023It also stated that Mumbairsquos PM10 concentration declined by approximately 48 per cent between 201718 and 202526 citing data from the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Changersquos PRANA portalBMC lays down constructionsite pollution rulesUnder the 28point guidelines construction sites must be enclosed with green cloth jute sheets or tarpaulin to limit the spread of dust Structures being demolished must be covered from top to bottom with continuous water spraying during demolitionThe guidelines prescribe metalsheet barricades of at least 35 feet for construction projects taller than 70 metres and construction layouts spread over more than one acre Sites covering less than one acre must have barricades at least 25 feet highConstruction sites must use water sprinklers or fogging systems during activities such as loading and unloading materials Water must also be sprinkled on debris soil and other materials that could generate airborne particulate matterGrinding cutting drilling sawing and trimming must be carried out in enclosed areas with continuous water sprinkling or fogging to prevent dust from escapingSensorbased air quality monitoring made mandatoryThe BMC guidelines require construction sites to install sensorbased air pollution monitors and take immediate action when pollution levels exceed the prescribed limits Monitoring data must be made available to civic officials for inspection when requiredThe BMCrsquos said that 3166 construction sites have installed sensorbased air quality monitors and connected them to a central dashboard through which the civic body monitors readingsThe guidelines also require construction sites to install CCTV cameras along their perimeters to check whether vehicles leave after their tyres have been cleaned and whether they are overloadedVehicles transporting construction materials and debris must be fully covered from the top and all sides and must not be overloaded They must also have valid pollutionundercontrol certificates76 wardlevel squads conduct inspectionsThe BMC said 76 wardlevel mitigation squads conduct random and surprise inspections with each squad carrying out at least two constructionsite inspections daily and following up on compliance at pollution hotspotsThe guidelines provide for enforcement squads comprising two ward engineers one policeman one marshal and a vehicle Each squad is to be headed by a senior ward officerIf a site is found violating the prescribed measures action may include showcause notices stopwork notices or sealing of the premises The BMC said enforcement action is supported by sitespecific inspection reports photographs and videographs the press release saidThe guidelines also direct ward officials to deploy special squads to prevent illegal dumping of construction and demolition waste particularly at nightConstruction debris and road dust under scrutinyIt stated that the BMC requires construction and demolition waste generated at sites to be transported to designated unloading locations in accordance with its waste management plan Vehicles must be thoroughly washed and cleaned after unloadingThe movement and authorised disposal of construction and demolition waste are also tracked through the Mumbai Debris Control and Tracking System MDCTS according to the press noteThe Mumbai civic body said it undertakes deep cleaning of roads to remove accumulated dust along with routine sweeping using 29 multipurpose vehicles Developers and contractors are required to clean adjoining roads according to the size of their construction sitesThe guidelines also require tyrewashing facilities at constructionsite exitsThe BMC is coordinating with the Traffic Police to check the cleanliness of readymix concrete vehicles and take action against visibly polluting vehicles it saidOpen burning and bakery emissionsThe BMC guidelines also impose a complete ban on open burning within its jurisdiction particularly at garbage dumping grounds and other locations where waste may be burntAccording to the civic body developers and contractors must arrange food for workers living at construction sites to avoid the use of firewood and similar fuels Burning such fuels by security guards and labourers especially at night is prohibited at construction sites Developers and contractors must provide electric heaters for security guards and labourersThe press note states that bakeries contribute approximately 35 per cent of Mumbairsquos particulate matter emissions Of the cityrsquos 593 bakeries 209 were already using cleaner fuel while another 175 had converted A further 69 were undergoing conversion 87 remained noncompliant and eight had closedNew bakery licences and permissions require the use of green fuel with compliance to be verified before a licence is granted the BMC saidThe civic body was also in the process of installing air pollution control devices at 10 crematoria Its winter air pollution mitigation and enforcement action plan for 2026 covers pollution hotspots open burning constructionsite compliance road dust and vehicle checks it saidAhead of Diwali the BMC also reiterated that firecrackers are not permitted on public streets roads and other public places including lanes footpaths and silence zones