Mumbai air pollution: Haze concerns fishermen as poor visibility obscures coastal rocks and obstacles

Poor air quality and haze blanket Mumbai, reducing visibility across the city. Representation pic/Ashish Raje

While poor visibility and alarming AQI levels have left the city grappling with pollution, Mumbai's fishing community fears the haze could affect coastal navigation, putting boats and nets at risk.

Low visibility

Devendra Tandel, president, Akhil Maharashtra Machhimar Kriti Samiti
‘The pollution and haze mainly impact coastal fishing. Fishermen from Cuffe Parade and Worli leave for the sea at 4 am and return by 8 am. When the sunlight is already this dim, the haze can further affect visibility. Poor visibility increases the risk of small boats without GPS colliding with coastal rocks. Many boats also lack radar systems to detect nearby boats and obstacles, putting nets at risk of getting snagged.'

Torn nets

Ronny Colasco, a Gorai fisherman
‘It has happened in the past that bigger boats have strayed off course and failed to see our nets because of hazy air. As a result, our nets get torn, and we suffer losses. The air quality has been especially poor this week, and the rising heat has taken a toll on our health as well.'

Prolonged fog

Koli community leaders say fog was always a seasonal phenomenon, but pollution has prolonged the hours of poor visibility.

Ratnadeep Bame, chairman, Khar Danda Koliwada
‘Earlier, the winter haze would come and clear by the early hours of the morning. However, owing to construction projects and pollution, it now stays until 10 am or even later, and sets in faster during the evenings. Several projects are also underway in the water, and the haze makes it difficult for coastal fishermen to see poles and construction obstacles clearly. Gillnet fishermen operating near the coast are affected, and they can even lose their entire catch if their nets get snagged.'

Children ill

Switsy Henriques, president of the Gorai Villagers Welfare Association, said the poor air quality was also affecting children. "We are seeing rising numbers of children fall ill in this air. Even though Gorai is away from Mumbai, the polluted air has travelled," she said.