Mumbai Enforces Strictest (GRAP-4) Pollution Control Restrictions

Tough restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan or GRAP 4 have come into force in parts of Mumbai amid rising air pollution in the country's financial capital. You read that right. Mumbai has now joined Delhi on the list of cities with toxic air and GRAP curbs to check spiralling pollution levels.

Civic authorities in Mumbai have started enforcing restrictions under GRAP 4 after the air quality in several areas crossed the 'very poor' and 'severe' thresholds. These areas include Mazgaon, Deonar, Malad, Borivali East, Chakala-Andheri East, Navy Nagar, Powai, and Mulund.

Mumbai's civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, has halted construction and dust-generating activities in these areas, and dozens of sites are being monitored. Stop-work/shutdown notices have been issued to over 50 construction sites. Small industries, including bakeries and marble-cutting units, have been asked to shift to cleaner processes or face action.

The civic authorities have deployed flying squads in every ward to enforce pollution control measures and monitor emissions. These squads comprise engineers, police personnel and GPS-tracked vehicles and are scanning areas for polluting activities.

Over the past couple of weeks, several areas in Mumbai have recorded Air Quality Index in the 'very poor' and 'severe' categories. Residents are complaining of burning eyes, breathing problems, and a sore throat, much like their counterparts in Delhi.

Multiple celebrities have been expressing their outrage over the city's air quality on social media. Stand-up comic and actor Vir Das recently shared a video on Instagram in which he sang "AQI, AQI, let me die". Actor and filmmaker Soni Razdan called for urgent measures to tackle air pollution and said, "Let us not be guilty of allowing apathy to kill us. Because that's what will happen." Lyricist and filmmaker Varun Grover said that the reason air quality is not as big an issue as it deserves to be is "because its killing effects take a decade or two - it might even cut down your lifespan by 15 years".

The city's Congress unit has released a 'Mumbai Clean Air Action Plan'. This plan proposes identifying clean air as a fundamental right, round-the-clock monitoring of polluting activities, planting 1 million trees, and stricter pollution norms for vehicles, construction, and industries.

Mumbai's entry into the toxic air hall of shame is a wake-up call for government authorities across the country. Year-round construction activities, vehicular emissions, and waste burning are gradually poisoning the air in major cities. Policy measures so far have done little to address the root causes and the problem persists. Delhi has been gasping for air every winter for years now, and now Mumbai has joined the list.

Last week, at a BMC meeting to review the AQI spike, the need for immediate measures was discussed. Dr Bhushan Gagrani, Municipal Commissioner, had said that GRAP 4 curbs will kick in if the AQI crosses 200 for three days in a row.