Mumbai gasps under a blanket of smog, BMC swings into pollution-war mode

The picture-postcard views of Marine Drive have been replaced by a disconcerting blanket of smog, a stark visual marker of Mumbai’s deepening air-quality crisis. Faced with rapidly plummeting air quality, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has moved from advisory to aggressive enforcement, deploying a targeted, ward-level strategy to combat the city’s No. 1 pollutant: construction dust. 

The BMC has activated a specialised force — 94 ward-level teams — effectively turning them into “flying squads” tasked with policing both the city’s colossal infrastructure projects (including Metro lines and the Coastal Road) and private construction sites. Their mandate is clear: ensure strict compliance with BMC’s comprehensive 28-point du­st and pollution-control guidelines. 

This is not a symbolic crackdown.

 

Multiple construction sites that failed to adequately implement mitigation measures such as water sprinkling, green netting, and material-storage covers have been slapped with “stop-work” notices. The authorities are underscoring that the city’s development cannot come at the cost of public health. 

The civic body said Mumbai’s air quality has improved since November 26, supported by ongoing measures and wind speeds rising to 10–18 kilometres per hour. 

Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani said that steps such as “misting to control dust, washing of roads, special cleanliness drives, shifting bakeries and crematoria to cleaner fuels, and public-awareness efforts have contributed to the improvement in Air Quality Index (AQI)”. He clarified that Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-4 is not applicable in Mumbai at present, although monitoring instructions were issued. Gagrani also appealed to project sites to “strictly follow pollution-control norms”, ensure bakeries transition to cleaner fuels, and urged citizens to avoid burning waste. 

The impact of BMC’s measures is already visible in Malad West, Siddharth Nagar, and Mazgaon, where 53 sites received stop-work notices. Developers say early-stage projects will be hit hardest. 

This winter, Delhi-National Capital Region enforced severe emergency measures across the region to curb pollution and control the alarming AQI levels. Key actions included a complete ban on non-essential construction and demolition activities, a highly disruptive measure that involves halting major building projects. Crucially, Delhi also implemented strict vehicular restrictions, including a ban on the use of older polluting vehicles, and imposed restrictions on the entry of non-essential commercial trucks. Authorities mandated 50 per cent work-from-home for government and private offices and shifted some junior school grades to online classes to reduce traffic and limit public exposure. 

Mumbai’s intensified pollution curbs are expected to cause construction delays, despite developers’ attempts to minimise the impact. 

Vivek Rathi, national director, research, Knight Frank India, warned that even a one-day halt translates into “two to four days of real delay”, factoring in remobilisation. He said that projects in early stages (foundation and podium work) will feel the drag most, confirming that AQI-linked stoppages are now a persistent issue in Mumbai. 

While developers like Anuj Puri (Anarock Group) see the enforcement as a necessary step to “professionalising the construction industry”, others confirm disruptions. Shahid Balwa (Valor Estate) said that AQI curbs are “delaying work and raising overheads”, requiring constant replanning of labour and procurement, particularly at large multi-tower sites. Responsible developers with existing green norms, however, expect “minimal disruption”, according to Manan Shah (MICL Group).

 

Explaining the crisis, Tuhin Banerji, ex-senior scientist at CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), blamed the city’s worsening AQI on a mix of “unchecked construction, heavy traffic with numerous invalid pollution under control vehicles, industrial emissions, and administrative apathy”. He urged authorities to move beyond simple sensor installation and adopt proven solutions like NEERI’s WAYU (wind augmentation and air purifying unit) systems or molecular filters for effective control. 

Experts emphasise that much of Mumbai’s pollution — from traffic congestion, pothole dust, and poorly regulated vehicles — is addressable. They highlight that, unlike Delhi, Mumbai frequently records higher levels of harmful gases (sulphur oxide, nitrogen oxide, ozone, volatile organic compounds), largely linked to unregulated industrial activity. 

While Anup Garg, founder and director, World of Circular Economy, calls GRAP-4 an “essential emergency public-health measure” to curb acute exposure at severe AQI levels, he stressed that emergency action alone is insufficient. Garg demanded that the framework be paired with “long-term, structural change”, including clean-transport policies, stricter permanent dust-control norms, and mandating that small industries such as bakeries and kilns transition to cleaner fuels. 

Mumbai’s worsening AQI is translating into a public-health crisis, with doctors reporting a sharp rise in respiratory ailments across all demographics, including children and pregnant women. 

Dr Amit P Ghawade, consultant paediatrician and neonatologist, Motherhood Hospital (Kharghar), said that respiratory illnesses now constitute “60–70 per cent of daily cases”, adding, “If you are seeing on an average 20–30 patients in a day, 60–70 per cent are respiratory, and the sudden change could be pollution mainly”. He said that children are especially vulnerable due to their outdoor activity and less efficient mucous clearance, and warned that pollution exposure in pregnant women, “similar to exposure to tobacco smoke, can also affect the foetus”. 

The rise is reflected in hospital admissions, with Dr Shahid Patel, consultant pulmonologist, Medicover Hospitals, reporting a “10–15 per cent above normal” increase, noting that even non-asthmatics are suffering from persistent, aggravated post-viral coughs. 

Similarly, Dr Prashant Chhajed, senior consultant — respiratory and sleep medicine, Fortis Hiranandani Hospital, observed a 20 per cent rise in outpatient visits for cough, eye irritation, and breathlessness, confirming, “The number of individuals has increased, I am getting five to eight patients per day, possibly attributed to pollution.” 

Dr Harish Chafle, senior consultant chest physician, Gleneagles Hospitals, echoed the concern, saying, “We are seeing more patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease coming with worsening symptoms because of the rising pollution levels.” 

This time even non-asthmatics are experiencing respiratory discomfort, cough, and throat irritation.” He, along with Dr Chhajed, warned that long-term exposure “reduces the immunity of the lungs and upper airway”, raising the risk of severe infections like pneumonia. 

Experts collectively warn that while brief wind conditions may offer temporary AQI relief, the current surge in illnesses — a direct result of exposure to poor air quality — demands structural reforms in transport, construction regulation, and small-industry emissions.