30 March,2026 09:29 AM IST | Mumbai | Abhitash Singh
A vacuum sweeper in action in Navi Mumbai. Pic/by special arrangement
In a bid to tackle worsening air quality, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has unveiled an 18-month "Air Pollution Eradication Programme", positioning it as a full-scale engineering intervention to bring down PM10 and PM2.5 levels and shed the city's growing "dust-bowl" tag.
Navi Mumbai is a planned city. Why is air quality slipping now?
Our growth has outpaced our traditional systems. Large infrastructure projects, over 700 construction sites, and years of accumulated dust have created a perfect storm. This is not a routine clean-up; it is an engineering intervention.
Who ensures this does not remain on paper?
Accountability is built into the plan. The Municipal Commissioner, Dr Kailas Shinde, will oversee implementation. Each ward will have supervisors reporting to a central Environmental Command and Control Centre.
What happens to violators?
We are moving from requests to penalties. New bylaws will mandate wheel-washing, real-time monitoring, and strict dust-control compliance. Violations will invite work-stoppage orders.
700+ active construction sites
1000 km road network under dust load
Rising PM2.5 levels are pushing air quality into "poor" Years of accumulated "legacy dust" on road shoulders
What changes
>> No loose soil on road edges, vacant plots, or open land
>> Mandatory paving, turfing, or gravel covering
>> Private plots left uncovered face compliance action
Why it matters
>> Most dust is not industrial; it is loose soil becoming airborne daily
On the ground
>> 14 vacuum sweepers
>> 11 water jet trucks
>> Five-phase deep-clean cycle across 1000 km
In the air
>> Helium balloon sensors up to 500 metres
>> Tracks whether pollution is local or drifting in
