For instance, a few of the pollution monitors were found to even display zero pollutants on the day that the SAMEER app showed a higher presence of PM2.5 and PM 10, thus raising questions about the functioning and the very purpose of these boards. MUMBAI: Even as high pollution levels and the heavy fog obscuring the sky have raised concerns and exacerbated health issues in citizens, an investigation by anti-noise pollution activist Sumaira Abdulali has found that many of the air quality monitoring boards put up at construction sites are at complete variance with the findings of the Central Pollution Control Board’s SAMEER app.
Apart from action against builders with faulty, misleading or switched-off displays at their sites, Abdulali also wants the BMC to provide real-time, time-stamped PM 2.5 data to citizens to help them take daily decisions and suggests that the BMC set up a dedicated website to monitor active construction sites.
“Unless construction site data is first certified as correct, it will actually mislead the very people who rely on AQI information for their day-to-day activities: whether children and the elderly should venture outside, whether windows should stay open and so on,” she said.
When we find anomalies in these readings, we give the information of such sites to the local ward officers for inspection and action.” “As of today, pollution monitors from 3,166 construction sites across the city are connected to a separate dashboard, which is used only to monitor air quality at these sites on a daily basis.
When contacted, the BMC said that as of now there was no plan to integrate the data from the construction sites, as it was unreliable. “Data from the 28 AQMS available on the SAMEER app is the most reliable source for citizens,” said Avinash Kate, deputy municipal commissioner (environment and climate change).
