MUMBAI: Road washing using non-potable water could be back on the agenda as BMC steps up measures to curb air pollution in Mumbai.




Just a week ago, the civic standing committee had rejected a proposal to wash roads using tanker-supplied water amid the ongoing 10% water cuts.




Additional municipal commissioner Avinash Dhakane said the proposal would be revived, with the civic body exploring non-potable water sources.




“We have decided to bring back the proposal as we plan to use non-potable water from wells, lakes, etc. Every ward has already been asked to identify sources of non-potable water in its jurisdiction,” he said.




The proposal, submitted by BMC’s chief engineer (solid waste management), envisaged hiring water tankers equipped with jetting systems to wash roads across all seven civic zones for 150 days, excluding the monsoon season.




The exercise was estimated to cost Rs 8.25 crore.



BMC also plans to use data from around 3,000 air-quality monitoring sensors installed at infrastructure sites, including those managed by the civic body, to identify pollution hotspots and trigger corrective action when pollution levels exceed prescribed limits.




“We plan to use AI-enabled analytics, as it is not manually possible to monitor all 3,000 sensors at construction sites and check which have breached the limits,” Dhakane said.



The sensor data will help identify locations where air quality deteriorates and alert officials so that construction sites can take corrective measures.




It will also help BMC plan targeted interventions, including road washing, to control dust pollution, officials said.




Dhakane said Mumbai had recorded 231 days of good and satisfactory air quality so far this year, compared with 222 days last year and 216 the year before.




Addressing concerns over discrepancies in AQI readings across platforms, Dhakane said CPCB’s Sameer app was the only reliable source for monitoring air quality. He said other apps might not use standardised monitoring devices similar to those used by CPCB.