Mumbai Air Pollution: CM Devendra Fadnavis Orders BMC To Implement AI And IoT-Based Real-Time Monitoring System| VIDEO

Mumbai, Feb 25: Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday informed the Legislative Council that the BMC has been directed to develop a dynamic monitoring system based on Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to track sources of air pollution across the city.

He asserted that effective monitoring of air quality would not be possible unless the system is fully IoT- and AI-driven, enabling authorities to identify pollution sources in real time and take prompt corrective action.

Concerns raised over rising pollution

The issue came up during Question Hour when Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab raised concerns about rising air pollution in the Kherwadi area of Bandra and pointed to construction activities and infrastructure projects as major contributors. Several other members also expressed concern over increasing pollution levels in various parts of the state.

Minister outlines monitoring measures

Responding to the discussion, Environment and Climate Change Minister Pankaja Munde highlighted discrepancies in Air Quality Index (AQI) data available on certain mobile applications and advised citizens to rely on information released by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and the Central Pollution Control Board. She noted that winter conditions and humidity often make Mumbai’s atmosphere appear smoggy during morning hours.

Munde informed the House that her department had taken cognisance of the complaint raised by Parab and assured strict action against those violating environmental norms.

She said the state already has a comprehensive pollution monitoring mechanism in place, with 32 monitoring locations in Mumbai collecting AQI data. In addition, the BMC is installing devices at multiple locations to transmit real-time data to respective ward offices.

Around 80 per cent of the work of integrating this data onto the civic body’s dashboard has been completed, and the remaining process will be finalised in the coming days. This, she said, would enable ward-level identification of pollution hotspots and facilitate targeted action.

Supporting the move towards advanced monitoring, Munde observed that incorporating AI-based techniques would significantly enhance the efficiency and accuracy of AQI tracking.

Government reiterates commitment

Intervening in the debate, Fadnavis reiterated that the BMC has been instructed to create a fully dynamic system capable of tracking all pollutant sources, including government and private infrastructure projects.

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“Unless the system is 100 per cent IoT- and AI-based, effective monitoring will not happen. We have given clear instructions and will ensure that it is completed at the earliest,” he said, underscoring the government’s commitment to strengthening environmental management in the state.

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