POLLUTION

Is Respite from Choking Smog on the Horizon for Mumbai? Heavy Rains to Batter Maharashtra This Weekend!

People using footover bridge in Mumbai heat (BCCL - MUMBAI CST/BCCL - TOI DIGITAL EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT/Sanjay Hadkar) — Representational Image
(BCCL - MUMBAI CST/BCCL - TOI DIGITAL EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT/Sanjay Hadkar)

Saturday, October 19: For the past three to four days, Mumbai residents have been waking up to poor visibility due to air and dust pollution, triggering alarms across the city. A concerned citizen took to social media, tweeting, "Mumbai has turned into a gas chamber," highlighting the growing anxiety over the deteriorating air quality.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) responded, explaining that the smog is a consequence of thermal inversion, a weather phenomenon typically observed in winter. Low temperatures cause dew to form in the air, which then mixes with dust and pollutants from vehicles and construction sites. The warmer air above traps this mixture closer to the ground, creating the smog that has blanketed the city in recent days.

BMC's dust control measures affected by election duties

In response to the worsening conditions, the BMC has directed ward-level squads to inspect construction sites and strictly enforce dust control measures. Non-compliance will result in penalties, including stop-work orders or the sealing of worksites.

However, efforts to mitigate pollution have been hampered as over 80% of the BMC’s workforce is currently tied up with election duties. Key pollution control programs, such as the water-sprinkling initiative to curb dust, which was scheduled to begin on October 1, have been postponed to November. This manpower crunch is expected to delay other dust mitigation efforts, despite the urgency of the situation.

As of Friday, Mumbai ranked seventh on the World Air Quality Index (AQI), with parts of the city battling hazardous levels of pollution.

Is respite on the horizon?

Fortunately, Mumbai is bracing for heavy rains and thunderstorms this weekend. A trough extending from a cyclonic circulation over the east-central Arabian Sea to South Andhra Pradesh is expected to produce rainfall in the region. Additionally, a low-pressure area is likely to form in the same region within the next 12 hours, moving west-northwestward away from Indian coasts over the coming days.

Accordingly, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted widespread light to moderate rainfall over Konkan, Goa, and Madhya Maharashtra, with isolated heavy showers expected in these areas on October 19 and 20. Hailstorms may also occur in parts of Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada.

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