After NGO flags “alarming” air pollution levels, state government and MPCB jump into action, placing their own monitoring vans along race route and directing BMC to take precautionary steps
A blanket of haze over Marine Drive, which is part of the Mumbai Marathon route. Pic/Ashish Raje
Even as concerns over poor air quality cast a haze over the Mumbai Marathon being held today, the state government and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) have directed the BMC to take precautionary steps such as halting sweeping of roads along the route from Saturday evening onwards, as well as enforcing strict compliance with construction regulations along the route to prevent air pollution.
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After the NGO, Awaaz Foundation, on Friday reported unsafe levels of particulate matter (PM2.5) along the marathon route, deployed mobile air quality monitoring vans to assess the situation first-hand. On Saturday morning, an MPCB monitoring van stationed at Worli Naka recorded PM2.5 levels of 111.9 µg/m³ at 11 am. This is nearly double the Indian safety limit of 60 µg/m³, and over seven times the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard of 15 µg/m³. A subsequent reading an hour later showed PM2.5 levels at 106 µg/m³, reinforcing concerns raised by Awaaz Foundation, which deemed the air quality “alarming” and “unhealthy”.
The heightened scrutiny follows a citizen-led air quality monitoring effort on Friday, led by Awaaz Foundation. Using sensor-based monitors, the NGO recorded PM2.5 levels at eight locations along the marathon route. Disturbingly, all locations exceeded the WHO’s safe level of 15 µg/m³. The lowest recorded level, at Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Road, ranged from 95 to 105 µg/m³, while Mahim Retibunder emerged as the most polluted site, with PM2.5 levels between 125 and 154 µg/m³ during the early hours of the day. The findings have sparked concerns over the safety of athletes and participants in the upcoming marathon.
“Our goal is to highlight the health impact of air pollution on marathon participants, especially those with pre-existing health conditions,” said Sumaira Abdulali, Convenor of Awaaz Foundation.
The government and MPCB, on Saturday evening, responded to the buzz over the air quality concerns stating that the handheld monitoring devices used by Awaaz Foundation do not adhere to the standards set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Questioning the data reliability, Principal Secretary Vinita Singal, on behalf of the Environment & Climate Change Department, said: “The Atmos sensor-based monitors employed by Awaaz Foundation provide indicative data but do not conform to CPCB-approved protocols. As such, the results cannot be regarded as representative of regulatory-grade air quality measurements.”
The department further stated that weather conditions such as wind speed and humidity, and construction activity and vehicular traffic during the monitoring may not match the conditions on the day of the race.
However, neither the government nor MPCB commented on the high PM2.5 readings on the pollution board’s own monitoring vans on Saturday evening.
The MPCB, in its own statement, said: “To ensure accurate and actionable insights, regulatory-grade air quality monitoring will be conducted in compliance with CPCB standards during the marathon. This monitoring will account for real-time conditions and event-specific factors, offering a comprehensive understanding of air quality on the day of the marathon.”
The statement added: “In preparation for the marathon, MPCB has taken proactive steps to mitigate air pollution in Mumbai. The Board has instructed the BMC to maintain cleanliness along the marathon route [by sprinkling water], and ensuring that road sweeping ceases from Saturday evening onwards. Construction activities along the route have been directed to comply fully with pollution control measures.”
Meanwhile, Abdulali countered: “Awaaz Foundation’s data is part of a Citizens’ Science project aimed at providing indicative air quality information. Citizens’ Science data is globally recognised as an important supplement to official monitoring, helping to identify areas of concern.”
111.9
PM2.5 reading (in µg/m³) by MPCB van at Worli Naka on Saturday, 11 am
60
Indian safety limit (in µg/m³) for PM2.5
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