Mumbai's Air Quality: New Study to Unmask Pollution Hotspots

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in partnership with the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), has launched a comprehensive field research initiative across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). This study is critical for developing a high-resolution inventory of pollution emissions, with a specific focus on identifying pollution hotspots within Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Thane. The data collected will be instrumental in creating an early warning system for air quality in the region.

This initiative aims to devise a fresh mitigation plan by pinpointing the dynamic and evolving sources of pollution. The research will be conducted over a full year to capture seasonal shifts in emission patterns across summer, winter, and monsoon. Previously, a 2019 study identified residences as the highest contributors to pollutants, followed by commercial buildings and vehicular transport. This new study, however, expands its scope to the entire MMR, recognizing the shared airshed and rapid pollutant dispersion between interconnected geographic locations.

The collected data will fuel the proposed Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) and Decision Support System (DSS), which are being developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune. Officials noted that data collection will encompass metrics such as vehicle counts and residential fuel usage, providing a detailed understanding of emission sources across the metropolitan area. The study's air-shed based approach is intended to provide a more effective regulation of air pollution.