With Mumbai already grappling with deteriorating air quality, such dust-generating road cleaning activities, further aggravate air pollution instead of mitigating it
A mechanical broom vehicle spotted near the Kherwadi flyover. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
In yet another instance highlighting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) alleged role in worsening dust pollution, a mechanical broom vehicle was leading to dust on the Western Express Highway (WEH) near the Kherwadi flyover.
On Monday night, while travelling from Bandra to Andheri, this correspondent noticed a mechanical broom vehicle cleaning the road divider on the northbound stretch of the WEH near the Kherwadi flyover. However, the machine was seen raising dust while sweeping the road adjacent to the divider. With Mumbai already grappling with deteriorating air quality, such dust-generating road cleaning activities, especially at night, further aggravate air pollution instead of mitigating it.
Amey Sawant, another commuter using the same stretch of the road on Monday night, said, “I was travelling towards Andheri between 11 and 11.30 pm on Monday when I noticed a mechanical broom vehicle cleaning the stretch near the Kherwadi flyover, close to the road divider. Instead of reducing pollution, the operation was generating dust. If this is clearly visible to commuters, why is the BMC not noticing it? In my view, the cleaning activity was causing more harm than good. The concerned BMC officials must take action against the contractor responsible for this negligence.”
On November 29, mid-day had done a story (BMC’s litter-picker machines under fire for allegedly worsening Mumbai’s air pollution) in which it was stated that vehicle-mounted litter-picker machines deployed to suck up roadside trash were adding to pollution instead of reducing it. A mid-day reader from the eastern suburbs had shared a photograph showing one such machine emitting smoke and kicking up dust, raising questions about its environmental impact. Following mid-day’s article, BMC had even fined the contractor.
“There is no use in having such dust collectors and mechanical sweepers if they don’t follow the SOP [Standard Operating Procedure] and aren’t maintained properly; such operations of these vehicles for just the sake of it don’t just show high fugitive dust resuspended by them, but they also consume huge amounts of diesel, causing operation emissions as well as being a waste of money. It’s high time that the BMC starts monitoring the operation of these vehicles as per SOPs, not just for operation but also for collected dust disposal with transparent data sharing and end use,” said Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst at Envirocatalysts, a think tank that works on energy and the environment. Kiran Dighavkar, deputy municipal commissioner, solid waste management department, said, “We will review the functioning of the machines, and necessary steps will be taken.”
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