MMRDA will keep an eye on air, noise pollution in city ……….Chittaranjan Tembhekar I TNN
The monitoring of the quality of air and noise levels that Mumbaikars live with is set to become more stringent. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), under its World Bank-funded Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP), has selected Andheri, Borivli and Nariman Point for monitoring air and noise quality as they have huge traffic movement and many industrial units.
Mapping the noise pollution levels along the Sahar Road will be the first such exercise in the country before it is implemented across all arterial roads, junctions and flyovers.
The six air monitoring stations are at Andheri’s Nityanand Marg, at Civic Training Institute at Abhinav Nagar in Borivli, at Worli’s transport department building, the municipal dispensary in Khar, the S Ward office in Bhandup and a municipal school in Maravli.
“A global tender to procure, instal, operate and maintain three ambient air quality monitoring stations 24×7 will be floated soon after the World Bank’s consent,’’ said MMRDA spokesman Dilip Kawathkar. Adding more units in Borivli and Andheri was necessary as they are vulnerable to pollution.
Kawathkar said two private firms,ERM India and Care Sustainability, had already bid for the noise-mapping work. The selected agency will map the noise levels emanating from the traffic area. It will suggest noise mitigation strategies. Sumaira Abdulali of Awaaz Foundation said mapping noise was planned for all city flyovers but would initially be a pilot project for the elevated Sahar Road.
KEEPING TABS
W h a t t h e s e s t a tio n s will monitor
Sulphur Dioxide
Nitrogen Oxide
Carbon Monoxide
Hydrocarbon
Suspended Particulate Matter (even less than 10 microns)