How city’s dust problem is swept under the carpet

The persistent dust problem across Mumbai is not just because of the dry weather – it is getting triggered by BMC’s inefficient, unsupervised cleaning methods. The dirt, debris and dust swept off the roads daily by the sweepers pile up on the roadside, and by the end of the day, the traffic and winds ensure that it returns to the roads or flies into people’s homes, triggering air pollution and respiratory problems.
This reality is a far cry from BMC’s ideal picture of streets that are washed and mechanically cleaned daily. Nimish Malda from Wadala West voices his frustration, describing the BMC’s actions as a mere eyewash.
“Every morning, BMC workers sweep the streets, but they only collect dry garbage, leaving the dust to settle by the roadside. Within hours, the wind and traffic scatter the dust back on to the streets, creating a vicious cycle.” The situation on Rafi Ahmad Kidwai Marg in Sewri is particularly dire, with thick layers of dust and fine debris along the road. “The pollution is so bad that people can’t even walk comfortably,” Nimish adds.
A former civic official told the Mumbai Mirror that this issue persists because roads are not properly cleaned and washed. “I noticed that the tanker just sprinkles water, but after that, the dust should be removed from the road. But that doesn’t happen. Once dry, the dust spreads again,” he said. According to him, at some locations, the dust may also enter the roadside drains, choking them. “This is mostly construction dust, not natural soil,” he added.
According to sources in the civic body, the BMC used to wash roads every two-three days. Currently, this exercise is only taken up on the weekends. Mechanical cleaning machines are largely used on selective roads. Residents are fed up, arguing that the gap between BMC’s claims and on-ground execution is vast. “BMC says roads are cleaned daily, but the ground reality is completely different. Dust is increasing pollution and causing health issues,” noted a regular commuter.
Pankaj Joshi, an urban planner, said, “I personally saw BMC workers sweeping the dust from the road, but this has to be done at regular and frequent intervals. Also, in other developed countries, there are strict rules for construction vehicles, which include air-packed trucks. Vehicles should be washed before coming out of construction sites. These rules are in place in Mumbai as well, but need to be followed strictly.”
Rohit Joshi, an environmentalist, claimed, “The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board mentions that 70 per cent of the pollution in the Mumbai metropolitan area is due to dust. There are guidelines about construction vehicles, mentioning that these vehicles should be airtight and clean, but are these guidelines followed?”
Stalin Dayanand, another environmentalist, said, “Fine dust on the roads is not cleaned regularly. We saw BMC workers remove only larger particles like dry waste. But roads should be cleaned like we clean our homes. Even BMC’s dust-sucking machines are not working properly.”
“BMC came up with fancy names for cleaning, like clean-up and deep cleaning, but the truth is that roads are not cleaned properly,” said Darshan Joshi, a resident of Mulund. “There is also a need for proper monitoring of the cleaning process. Senior civic officials should themselves check the roads and conduct real-time audits of the work,” he added.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Avinash Dhakne said, “I held a meeting with the ward officer and gave instructions about cleaning roads and removing the dust. I suggested they take help from the traffic police to manage parked vehicles, coordinating with the citizens as well,” Dhakne added. “While watering the plants on the median divider, they should use a nozzle. Currently, the force with which they water the plants is sending the soil spilling on the roads, leading to more dust,” he added.