While the national capital is putting India to shame with its poorest air quality, its financial capital is not far behind in joining the league of the world’s most polluted cities. Currently, performing as the fourth most polluted megacity in the world, Mumbai’s PM 10 level pollutants arising from dust pollution, has increased by 64 per cent over 10 years, making it the second metro city in India to have an increasing percentage of pollutants in the air. While Chennai stood first, Mumbai was followed by Delhi and Bengaluru. The annual permissible limit for PM 2.5 is 40ug/m3, the city’s average in 2017 was 58. In 2018, it rose to 65. The data, gathered by System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) through their 10 monitoring stations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), also shows that except for the monsoon months, the city’s seasonal average of PM 2.5 has been on the higher side.
The PM 2.5 levels in Mazgaon, BKC, Borivli, Navi Mumbai, Andheri and Bandra stations were "very poor" in five of the nine stations, which reported air quality data. The levels were reported highest in Mazgaon and Navi Mumbai. When it comes to NO2, Navi Mumbai performed the worst touching 149 parts per billion. The Air Quality Index crossed the good + satisfactory levels in Dombivli and Bandra as well.
According to Environment Protection Agency, the smaller the size of particulate matter, the more damaging they are for your health because they can get deep into your lungs, and some may even get into your bloodstream. Numerous scientific studies have linked particle pollution exposure to a variety of problems, including premature death, heart attacks, asthma, irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty breathing. People with heart or lung diseases, children, and older adults are the most likely to be affected by particle pollution exposure.
“With the onset of winter, air quality has begun to deteriorate. As winter sets in, PM concentration in the air will rise as lower temperatures cause pollutants to get trapped closer to the earth’s surface, leading to an increase in the pollution levels,” said SAFAR project director Gufran Beig.
“Mumbai should not make northern India the benchmark for comparison. The benchmark should always be the standard, and despite being a coastal city, Mumbai is exceeding even the Indian standard according to WHO and SAFAR data,” said Anumita Roy Choudhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi. “This means there is very high exposure to these small pollutants and there is a need for a strong action plan to bring back clean air.”
Mumbai is one of 102 NACs or non attainment cities of India. Cities are considered as Non-attainment cities if they were consistently showing poorer air quality than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Yet Mumbai has so far not submitted any effective actionable clean air plan which fights the menace of pollution.
Mumbai would have surpassed Delhi in terms of poor air quality index had it not been for its only surviving urban forest of Aarey colony and Sanjay Gandhi National Park and the proximity to the sea. While the forest helps to sequester the carbon, absorb pollutants, provide oxygen and keep air fresh; the sea prevents the formation of fog, keeping the air quality better. Mumbai, which has been gifted with an advantageous topography over a landlocked Delhi is losing its advantage to the destructive development. Aarey forest is set to lose 354 hectares to various development projects like Metro car shed, slum rehabilitation project, RTO office, zoo, Metro Bhavan, etc. if the government is not challenged in its current plan. Various infrastructure projects proposed to go through Sanjay Gandhi National Park are racing to destroy this forest in coming years. Our rivers have been either concretised or turned into sewage, the hills have been usurped by slums and real estate. The city’s natural resources which have been ruthlessly sacrificed for urbanisation leaving the city in disgrace require active citizens to unite over any religious, racial or geographic diversities and demand for the pure environment. Save Aarey movement is one such citizen activism that saved hundreds of trees from going under the on slaughter that Devendra Fadnavis led government carried out on the unfortunate night of October, 4th. Students, professionals, young and old came together to reclaim their city’s natural forest. This activism even forced the Supreme Court to intervene and issue a ban on further cutting of trees in Aarey forest. The responsibility to ensure that Mumbai breathes clean air may largely lie with the government but the responsibility to ensure that the government implements sustainable policies that maintain the purity of our natural resources lies with the citizens.