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Air and noise pollution increase in Mumbai this Diwali: Thane
With the new government watering down the restrictions on festivals, Thane residents experienced the most polluted Diwali since 2019, with both sound and air pollution levels substantially higher than in the last four years. According to data released by the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) on Thursday, air pollution levels increased by 4 per cent while noise levels were higher by a whopping 24 percent.
There was a marked increase in particulate matter concentrations, which were as high as 245 µg/m³ on Monday, the first day of Diwali. Noise levels too were between 80 and 110 decibels both in the morning and at night—this was not just on account of firecrackers but also because of DJ music played by political parties in Diwali musicals across the city.
With many pandemic restrictions in place in the last two years, Diwali celebrations in Thane had become comparatively quieter and cleaner. This year, however, with most people celebrating the festival after almost two years, revellers went berserk.
“The permissible Repairable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) limit is 100 ug/mg3. The levels were on the night of Diwali were as high as 245 ug/mg3, as the sheer number of crackers burst across the city was much higher. The Air Quality Index (AQI) which needs to be under 100 for non-polluted air, was around 197 on Monday, the first day of Diwali,” said an officer from TMC. Three days before Diwali, readings by the pollution department of TMC showed the RSPM at 152 ug/mg3 and the AQI at 135.
According to Thane-based environmentalist Vidyadhar Walavalkar, the increase in particulate matter is bound to affect the health of the city’s residents for the next one month. “With decreasing temperatures, it will take a long time for the particulate pollutants to subside,” he told HT. “Thus, there will be many people with complaints of breathing, bronchitis, allergies and colds.”
Walavalkar remarked that there was a “social” reason for the increase in pollution. “While there was no marked increase in the bursting of crackers in slums or middle-class societies, the surge was seen in upper-class societies and in business and trader communities, especially on the day of Laxmi Pujan,” he said. “There needs to be an effort to create awareness in these communities too.”
Manish Pradhan, pollution control officer of TMC, pointed out what he perceived as a positive element in this year’s Diwali. “It is true that pollution levels are high, but during the survey we observed that the use of green crackers—which emit less sound—has also increased,” he said. “The reason for the increased AQI is also on account of cooler weather in the late evening, which leads to the particles settling lower in the atmosphere.”
City-based noise pollution activist Mahesh Bedekar, who has being recording noise levels in the city for over a decade, made an interesting observation: that noise levels in 2018-19, the pre-Covid era, were lower because of self-regulation. “The levels were obviously down in Covid,” he said. “However, all the awareness and self-restrictions of the pre-Covid era were missing this year, with crackers being burst right till midnight. As a society, we need to reflect on this. Even if the government does not put restrictions on crackers, there is a need for some self-regulation. If the same scenario continues, we will be going the Delhi way in the near future.”
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Mumbai Air Pollution: IMD Predicts Clear Skies With Breezy Atmosphere; AQI Remains Satisfactory At 78
Mumbai: The city woke up to sunny skies in the morning on Saturday. Mumbai witnessed partially cloudy mornings with rains for the past few days, which resulted in improving the atmosphere’s air quality. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) however predicted clear sunny skies in the city and suburbs in the morning today.
The weather agency also predicted that the city and suburbs will continue to see sunny skies towards the afternoon and by the evening. The temperatures on Saturday are likely to be between 26°C to 31°C.
Mumbai’s temperature on Saturday morning was recorded at 28°C while the humidity was 67%.
Mumbai AQI
As per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the AQI in Mumbai is currently in the ‘satisfactory’ category, with a reading of 78.
For context, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 is ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 is ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.
AQI Of Different Areas In Mumbai
Colaba: 58 AQI Satisfactory
Andheri: 56 AQI Satisfactory
Malad: 98 AQI Satisfactory
BKC: 103 AQI Moderate
Borivali: 84 AQI Satisfactory
Mazagaon: 75 AQI Satisfactory
Worli: 47 AQI Satisfactory
Navi Mumbai: 89 AQI Satisfactory
Exclusive
Navi Mumbai: 14 die of dehydration at Maharashtra Bhushan award event as VIPs enjoy lavish buffet on taxpayers’ money
Even as lakhs of people were sitting under the scorching sun at the Khargar International Corporate Park ground last Sunday to witness the Maharashtra Bhushan award event, about 900 persons, including VIPs, were enjoying a lavish buffet laid out in an air-conditioned palace-like lounge behind the dais. The menu included fresh white dhoklas, cocktail batawadas, aluwadi, paneer masala, pitla, matki usal, special pulao, two types of dal, basmati jeera rice, puri, chapati, badam halwa, aamras, shrikhand, ice creams – gadbad, strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, and chilled soft drinks, all unlimited and at the taxpayers’ expense.
Official expenditure on the program was Rs.13.50 crore
The VIPs were given golden color spoons to gorge on the lavish spread. One of the guests told on Thursday that each plate cost ₹1,000. Minister for Culture Sudhir Mungantiwar was one of the VIPs seen in the special lounge. The official expenditure on the program was ₹13.50 crore, but if the money spent on resurfacing the roads, etc., is taken into account, the expense could easily be ₹25 crore.
Arrangements for water were not only inadequate
Outside, there was not even a shade for the visitors who were all followers of Appasaheb Dharmadhikari, who was the recipient of the government award. Arrangements for water were not only inadequate but also not placed at vantage points. Unable to bear the heat, as many as 14 persons died of dehydration. Mungantiwar effectively blamed Dharmadhikari since it was the “social reformer” who suggested the time at 11.00 a.m. Incidentally, Dharmakari spoke for one hour even as his followers were suffering from the blazing heat with nothing to cover their heads. The government has asked the Revenue Secretary Nitin Kareer to probe the tragedy.
Meanwhile, a lawyer from Navi Mumbai, Sachin Thorat (43), has written to the Khargar police to register his FIR against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Mungantiwar, and others connected with the organization of the awards function. He told FPJ on Thursday that he will file a private complaint with a local court under section 156 (3) of the CrPC if his FIR is not registered in the next few days.
A 26-year-old man from Haryana died in a multi-vehicle crash that occurred in the US state of Pennsylvania following ice and snow storms across the mid-Atlantic region, local media reported.
Manpreet Singh from Pehowa, Haryana, who had moved to Queens, New York recently, was hit by a truck that was on its way to Indiana.
“The crash occurred around 6.30 a.m. on December 24 near mile marker 64 on Interstate-80 west in Clarion Township,” Clarion County Coroner Dan Shingledecker said.
Singh, who was taken to a hospital in Clarion, Pennsylvania, was pronounced dead at 8.58 a.m.
Shingledecker said the cause of death was blunt force trauma, while the death has been ruled accidental.
Police in Clarion declined to comment citing an active investigation, Explore Clarion reported. Following the accident, a section of the Interstate-80 was shut for approximately 12 hours.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for his funeral, and provide financial assistance to his parents. According to the fundraiser page, Manpreet was the only child of his parents.
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