Mumbai pollution: 5 new initiatives taken by Maharashtra govt to improve air quality

Mumbai is currently experiencing high levels of air pollution. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will chair a meeting today to review the current pollution situation in the state.

The air quality in the city remained in the 'moderate' category on Thursday. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood in the range between 100-130 in several areas, as per the data by the Central Pollution Control Board at 8 am on Thursday.

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In view of the deteriorating air quality in Mumbai, several new initiatives have been taken by authorities to reduce air pollution.

Maharashtra Minister Deepak Kesarkar said initiatives like, 'cleaning up the roads with water', ' sprinkling water on construction sites', and 'fogging guns are being used to clean air'.

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He appealed to citizens not to burst firecrackers during Diwali and extended cooperation in improving Mumbai's poor air quality index.

"The civic corporation has started works like washing roads and footpaths, they will carry on their efforts for pollution control. It is a collective responsibility of all," he said.

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Kesarkar said some filters are being installed and checked at different locations, and which technologies are found to be the best will be implemented in Mumbai.

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"Wherever the plywood and other material, which is hazardous, is being burned in bakeries and cellular prices, action is being taken against them. There were certain areas where the work of using acid for manufacturing gold ornaments was going on, and action was being taken against them. It is our duty to see that Mumbai people get pure air; it should be non-polluted," he added.

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The Mumbai civic body started washing the roads in the city as part of the measures to reduce air pollution which has become a matter of concern over the last few weeks.

Restriction on crackers

This week the Bombay High Court directed municipal corporations of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region to ensure that firecrackers are not burst beyond 7 pm to 10 pm.