Mumbai Pollution
In today’s blog, we would like to address the pollution metrics of Mumbai.
Firstly we will be looking at the waste generation of the city which has a current population of 2.06 Crores.
Total Waste Generation Per Day
Mumbai generates waste to the tune of approximately 5500 metric tonnes per day.
This waste consists of:
- biodegradable and recyclable
- debris and silt
At a time when organisations across the globe, including the United Nations, are sharing tips to reduce food waste, nearly three-fourth of the waste generated by inhabitants of the maximum city in the past year comprised food, according to the environment status report (ESR) released by the BMC for 2020-21. Of this, 5,000 metric tonnes (MT), which is almost 73%, of garbage generated in Mumbai is organic.
The BMC’s annual ESR report reveals that in 2020-21, food waste accounted for 72.6 per cent of the total garbage that makes its way into the city’s dumping grounds. What makes this a hazard? Despite the BMC’s efforts to segregate wet waste at the source, a major chunk of this organic waste is choking the dumping grounds that have been witnessing recurring fires in the last few years.
The impact this has on the environment has become a concern. It burdens waste management systems, exacerbates food insecurity, making it a major contributor to the three planetary crises of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.
According to the BMC, the average waste generated per person per day is 450 to 650 gm. Waste management experts claim if Mumbai recycles its waste, it could reduce the amount of garbage transported to its overburdened landfills by 93 per cent.
The BMC’s Environment Status Report 2020-21 shows sand, stone and fine earth (construction debris) accounted for 17.37 per cent of the city’s waste, while the remaining comprised of plastic (3.24 per cent), organic dry waste such as wood and cloth (3.51 per cent) and paper and other recyclables, including metals (3.28 per cent).
The concept of disciplined disposal of waste is still missing in Mumbai. Many housing societies are not segregating dry and wet waste. However, we ask citizens to be responsible and segregate waste and treat wet waste generated at the source within their premises. Since 2020, the scenario has been worse due to the pandemic. A total of 3,367 housing societies and other establishments have been identified as bulk waste generators in the city. Of these, 1,698 have started segregating and composting waste in their premises. The rest have not been following the rule.
The BMC claims to have cut down the 9,400 metric tonnes of garbage generated per day in the city in 2017-18, to 5,500 metric tonnes. Of this, 14 percent of garbage is disposed of at Deonar dumping ground, while the remaining 86 per cent is dumped at Kanjurmarg dumping ground.
Along with that here’s some data about the Air Quality Index and Major Pollutants affecting the city.
The average AQI in Mumbai over the past month is being said to be 170. Whereas the best AQI in Mumbai for the past month has been 70 and the worst AQI score was 297.
The Major Air Pollutants being found in the air are Particulate Matter, SO2 - Sulfur Dioxide, CO - Carbon Monoxide, Ozone - Smog & NO2 - Nitrogen Dioxide
We Recommend you all to:-
Use Mask Outdoors
Avoid Outdoor Exercises
Close Your Home Windows
Run Air Purifiers
This growing waste generation and its effect on pollution growth needs to be addressed and taken action to save our City from major health problems and we need to plan and work on sustainable ways to sustain our lifestyle in our city.
