Dust city: Mumbai has a whopping 11,125 construction sites

03 Apr 2023 CW Team

Borivali-R Gorai's Central ward, which has 11,125 sites dug up for building construction, leads the list with 942 sites. K East ward, which includes the neighbourhoods of Andheri-Vile Parle-Jogeshwari East, comes in second place with 933 sites. K West Ward (Andheri West-Vile Parle West-Juhu) comes in third with 815 sites.

The South Mumbai wards have the fewest construction sites due to the heritage rules governing them. Meanwhile, Dongri's B ward has 83 sites excavated for building, and A ward, which includes Colaba-Cuffe Parade-Nariman Point-Churchgate and Fort, has 101. Locations dug up for other infrastructure-related projects like the coastal road and the metro are not included in the BMC data.

The source of the harmful air pollution that Mumbai residents have been experiencing for the past few months is further supported by this unique data on building development sites. The BMC created ward committees to keep a close eye on building sites beginning April 1 as part of standard operating procedures (SOPs) that were created in the past to help citizens who were suffering from dust inhalation.

According to the report provided by the seven-member committee led by additional municipal commissioner Dr. Sanjeev Kumar, the action plan will first be put into action by sending warning notices to contractors working on construction sites to follow environmental regulations for dust pollution prevention and control. If they do not follow through, the builder will be given a stop work notice.

The environmental regulations for demolishing existing buildings range from installing metal barriers or tin/metal sheets around the existing perimeter of the entire structure to refraining from crushing and pounding demolition debris on site. Moreover, contractors must continuously sprinkle water to prevent dust from the debris from becoming re-suspended and polluting the air.

The BMC's Autocad data vindicates the city's residents, who have long complained that Mumbai is one giant building site. The city's overall appearance resembles a large excavation pit due to the staggering 11,125 active building sites. Borivali-R Gorai's Central ward, which has 11,125 sites dug up for building construction, leads the list with 942 sites. K East ward, which includes the neighbourhoods of Andheri-Vile Parle-Jogeshwari East, comes in second place with 933 sites. K West Ward (Andheri West-Vile Parle West-Juhu) comes in third with 815 sites. The South Mumbai wards have the fewest construction sites due to the heritage rules governing them. Meanwhile, Dongri's B ward has 83 sites excavated for building, and A ward, which includes Colaba-Cuffe Parade-Nariman Point-Churchgate and Fort, has 101. Locations dug up for other infrastructure-related projects like the coastal road and the metro are not included in the BMC data. The source of the harmful air pollution that Mumbai residents have been experiencing for the past few months is further supported by this unique data on building development sites. The BMC created ward committees to keep a close eye on building sites beginning April 1 as part of standard operating procedures (SOPs) that were created in the past to help citizens who were suffering from dust inhalation. According to the report provided by the seven-member committee led by additional municipal commissioner Dr. Sanjeev Kumar, the action plan will first be put into action by sending warning notices to contractors working on construction sites to follow environmental regulations for dust pollution prevention and control. If they do not follow through, the builder will be given a stop work notice. The environmental regulations for demolishing existing buildings range from installing metal barriers or tin/metal sheets around the existing perimeter of the entire structure to refraining from crushing and pounding demolition debris on site. Moreover, contractors must continuously sprinkle water to prevent dust from the debris from becoming re-suspended and polluting the air.