Slowly and steadily pollution has been becoming a major issue in all metro cities of India. Earlier the issue of pollution was only highlighted in Delhi during the Winters where the citizens had to wear masks even before COVID to reduce the risk of respiratory issues, but now this issue has extended to other metro cities including Mumbai. Talking about statistics the current air quality level across Mumbai is estimated to be 61 ug/m3 which is 4 times above the prescribed limits of WHO (World Health Organization) Guidelines . This situation has not taken place overnight, it has taken place gradually.
Even in 2019 the average pollution level in Mumbai was recorded to be around 83 ug/m3 which was 16 times more than the recommended limits as per WHO guidelines . Unfortunately the current situation shows that over these years no significant steps have been taken to address this issue, now the question arises how can these issues be solved practically?
In my experience only demanding will not help, this issue needs a practical approach, which can only happen with cooperation from the stakeholders, this is where the role of construction companies comes into play.
In India the construction companies contribute 8 to 9% to GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and have considerable influence among political developments right from the local level to State level Governments especially with urban settings. This can be very well observed in the State of Maharashtra of which Mumbai is part of. Along with their influence it also cannot be ignored that construction activities are also one of the main contributors of pollution in the city. Recognizing this the MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority) in 2024 had come up with a set of guidelines for regulating construction activities. While Government efforts need to be commended, the construction companies themselves need to self-regulate and introspect in what way they can contribute in tackling the issue of pollution.
There is a need for Builder Associations such as CREDAI-MCHI (Confederation of Real Estate Developer’s Associations of India – Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry) to themselves discuss how changes in their construction activities can lead to decrease in pollution levels.
Just like Chinese Construction Companies, the builders in Mumbai can follow the low carbon development model, which has intended to make a significant impact on the pollution levels in Chinese cities. Under this initiative, Construction companies active in Mumbai could self-integrate environment friendly measures or aspects in their projects. Some of the steps include incorporating Green Building Technologies such as having energy efficient structure designs, using environment friendly building materials such as Bamboo, Solar Tiles, and Hampcrete (a carbon negative material).
In many construction projects, while the construction activities itself cause pollution, the usage after its construction continues to cause more pollution. Hence by self-regulating and self-integrating, the construction companies in Mumbai with regular monitoring by Government bodies like M.C.G.M (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai), MMRDA as well as State Pollution Control Board, the city’s fight with pollution will get a major boost.
Kaustav Dass
Research Associate Renovate India
