Andheri junction air most polluted, water contamination rises

Consider this: 18,06,974 vehicles are plying on Mumbai roads, and 252 are being added to the number every day.

In a recently published environment status report of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a growth rate of 5.36% vehicles per year has been recorded.

It is estimated that there would be 1.90 million vehicles by 2011 in the city.

The vehicles, the report states, have affected the air quality at three traffic junctions — Worli, Wadala and Andheri — where NO2 and respirable suspended particulate (RSP) levels have gone up alarmingly. Andheri junction is the most affected considering the ambient air quality monitored in Worli, Khar, Bhandup, Borivli and Maravli. And except Borivli, all the other sites are highly polluted with suspended particulate matter (SPM).

“Inadequate sewage treat facilities, rapid disappearances of open spaces, ever increasing number of automobiles and consequent air pollution, accumulating garbage in the by-lanes, littered and polluted beaches and beach waters are a few manifestations of the inadequate attention and priority attached to the environmental management in the metro,” states the report. The increase in SPM levels have been attributed to the public and private constructions and related activities in the city.

The report states that due to cleaner fuels like unleaded petrol and low sulphur diesel, levels of sulphur dioxide and lead are reduced. However, the small particulates pose more health hazards and are generated in large percentage by vehicles, which run on gaseous fuels like CNG and LPG.

As for water contamination, the report stated that 26.10% of drinking water samples are found to be contaminated compared to 13.80% last year. The state and central governments, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute contributed data for the report.