Mumbai: The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has finally made public information on the air quality of several areas of Mumbai. The city has now been equipped with 13 new air quality monitoring stations. However, there was a delay in updating the information on the website.
The new continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAA-QMS) have been set up at Borivali, Kandivali, Mulund, Vile Parle, Kalina and Kurla among others. Apart from these areas, stations are also located at Worli, Powai, Sion and Colaba. In the adjoining areas of the city, the monitoring stations have also been set up in Mhape, Nerul, Vasai and Kalyan.
They will provide real time data on daily basis. Unlike the old stations in Sion and Bandra, the new ones will also provide readings on parameters like PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ozone. Officials stated that it would help in curbing the overall pollution in the city.
“We had decided to start the new air monitoring stations before winter as the air quality witnesses a dip in this season. So we needed to keep a check on the pollutant level in real time so as to look into mitigation measures,” said a senior MPCB official. “The addition of new parameters will help in determining the prominent pollutant in the city’s air and intensity of its increase or decrease,” he said.
As of now, Mumbai’s PM10 levels have increased over the years, but we could not say the same about PM2.5, as there was no substantial data,” added the official. The PM10 pollutant mostly arises from dust particles from roads and construction work, while the PM2.5 could be attributed to vehicular and industrial emissions.
