As air pollution in Mumbai shot up in several neighbourhoods, the BMC has enforced GRAP-4, the city’s strictest pollution-control stage in multiple areas across the city.
Areas Affected
The restrictions apply to zones reporting ‘very poor’ or ‘severe’ air quality. This includes:
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Mazgaon
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Deonar
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Malad
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Borivali East
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Chakala–Andheri East
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Navy Nagar
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Powai
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Mulund
What’s Banned or Curtailed
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All construction and dust-generating activities are halted in the affected areas. Over 50 construction / ready-mix concrete (RMC) sites have already received “stop-work” orders.
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Small polluting industries e.g. marble-cutting units, certain bakeries, and other workshops are being ordered to switch to cleaner operations or face closure / fines.
- Dust control measures: Activities involving open digging, debris handling, or other dust-producing processes have been restricted.
To enforce this, BMC has deployed “flying squads”, teams including civic engineers and police who are monitoring sites, checking compliance, and issuing fines or closure notices where norms are flouted.
What Is Still Allowed
Unlike similar pollution-control measures in some other cities, the GRAP-4 enforcement in Mumbai does not include a blanket ban on all traffic or a city-wide school shutdown. No major restrictions on private vehicles or public transport have been announced under this phase.
Road cleaning, water-sprinkling, street sweeping and other dust suppression operations are being carried out actively to try and reduce particulate pollution.
Why It’s Happening
Over recent weeks, several pockets of Mumbai recorded repeated spikes in air pollution, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) falling into the “very poor” and “severe” categories. In some zones, AQI crossed 300-plus consistently, prompting authorities to trigger GRAP-4 to prevent health hazards.
In the view of the BMC, construction dust and emissions from small industrial units have been major contributors to rising pollution, hence the tough restrictions under GRAP-4.