Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) standing committee on Friday unanimously rejected the civic administration’s proposal for a massive road-washing drive to curb pollution and keep the streets clean, with corporators across party lines questioning the rationale behind the move amid a 10% water cut and concerns over water stock in seven dams which supply water to the city getting exhausted before May 17, 2027.
The AIRWISE-Safar app, developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), warned that even moderate AQI could cause breathing discomfort among people with asthma, lung and heart disorders. During Friday’s standing committee meeting, corporators unanimously opposed the BMC’s road-washing drive proposal, arguing that washing roads during a period of constrained water supply and a strengthening El Nino would be insensitive. 213 tankers (2,000-10,000 litres each) equipped with sprinkler jets were to be deployed for washing 377 public roads spanning around 677 kilometres, according to the proposal. The move was intended to balance pollution control with infrastructure development, and in line with the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, which stipulates road washing and cleaning as an obligatory duty of the civic body. On Thursday, 14 of the 20 air quality monitoring stations across the city logged moderate AQI, with PM 2.5 and PM 10 being the prominent pollutants.
A senior civic official said the proposal was prompted by rising air quality index (AQI) levels, and in line with recent orders of the Bombay High Court. “Since the monsoon withdrew from Mumbai on October 3, the city’s overall AQI has spiked,” the official said.
Congress group leader Ashraf Azmi called for a concrete policy to restore and utilise dysfunctional hydrants across the city for road cleaning, while questioning the absence of a comprehensive framework. “Everything related to water supply in the city is dependent on tankers. A tanker-centric water distribution model is being put in place. BJP group leader Ganesh Khankar demanded the proposal be shelved over the city’s water situation. BMC estimates dam water will last till next June.
Earlier reporting noted: BMC’s standing committee rejects Rs 8.3 crore road-washing proposal amid 10% water cut in Mumbai BMC headquarters Earlier reporting noted: Mumbai: In view of the low water stocks in the dams supplying the city and the 10% water cut in force, BMC’s standing committee rejected the civic body’s proposal to spend around Rs 8.3 crore to wash 677 km of city roads daily to curb air pollution. The state is reeling from drought and govt has sought over Rs 17,000 crore as central aid.
If everything is dependent on tankers, we cannot cry about the tanker lobby,” Azmi said.
Earlier reporting noted: Committee members, including those from the ruling front, opposed the proposal.
