Amid the burning issue of air pollution in Mumbai, a group of concerned citizens led by actor and environmentalist Diya Mirza met officials of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) stressing the need for a 10-year action plan apart from short-term measures to curb severe health risks caused by Mumbai’s high levels of air pollution.
The group including Dia Mirza, Sumaira Abdulali, Convener, Awaaz Foundation, Hema Ramani, Campaigns Director, Bombay Environment Action Group (BEAG) as well as Shruti Panchal and Rasika Nachankar from Waatavaran Foundation met BMC’s Additional Municipal Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar.
The issues discussed by the ‘Clean Air Mumbai’ ranged from construction and demolition waste, solid waste management, and the need for an institutional framework for tackling air pollution at the ground level in Mumbai.
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“The negative effects of air pollution on public health are clearly visible and this remains one of the city's biggest environmental problems and is to blame for the increasing respiratory illnesses and heart conditions. Reports have established that air pollution stunts children's brain development, and even causes cancer. The amount of Particulate Matter (PM) in the air is at an all-time high, and other pollutants continue to vitiate the air we, our senior citizens and children are breathing,” Mirza said.
"The importance of civil society inputs, awareness and education alongside strict enforcement cannot be overstressed. Ward-wise committees, enforcement of C&D rules and enforcement of environmental standards during construction of buildings along with citizen-friendly complaint mechanisms are the need of the hour,” said Abdulali.
“The BMC was very receptive to our suggestions regarding the necessity of capacity building of administration along with creating awareness and sensitising the citizens,” said Ramani.
"The meeting culminated on a note of broad acceptance that a long-term, sustained effort is needed to reduce Mumbai's air pollution. We are hopeful that the citizenry and BMC can come together to create a road map for a cleaner and healthier Mumbai. We, citizens, are grateful to the BMC for their time and attention to this critical situation and pledge to work in support alongside them to ensure long-term solutions are implemented and stringent actions are taken in a short term by holding construction sites accountable,” added Mirza.