Navi Mumbai: PMC Floats RFP For Mobile Air Quality Monitoring Vehicle

Navi Mumbai: The Panvel City will soon get a mobile air quality monitoring vehicle as the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) has invited a request for proposal (RFP) from potential bidders to provide the vehicle including operation and maintenance. The vehicle will be used in all four wards of the corporation.

As per the estimate, the population of the PMC has already crossed 16 lakh, and due to an increase in urbanisation and following demands from environmentalists, there is a need for a mobile air quality monitoring vehicle to check air pollution in the city.

Air pollution woes continue to upset Navi Mumbaikars

There are industrial units along the PMC jurisdiction and citizens often, especially from Kharghar, Kalamboli and Panvel, complain of poor air quality. In fact, during winter, residents are forced to stay indoors and not open windows due to the smell emanating from industrial units from Taloja. However, in the absence of air monitoring systems in important areas or footfall places, it is difficult to know the real-time air quality.

Study exposed horrific situation

In 2021, the Waatavaran Foundation conducted an air quality study. The study revealed that residents from the Kharghar-Taloja-Panvel belt were breathing polluted air for 17 hours. A giant-sized ‘breathing’ lung was installed at Kharghar to demonstrate the lethal impact of polluted air on human health. The cloth lungs turned black within a week, showing the high level of pollution. Even the then mayor Dr Kavita Choutmal demanded the setting up of an expert committee to study the deteriorating air quality. The Mayor who visited the giant lungs billboard at Kharghar has called on citizens and authorities to join hands to achieve clean air.

As per the RFP, the selected bidder will supply a Mobile Air Quality Monitoring vehicle and provide for its operation and maintenance for a period of seven years. The initiative is part of the successful implementation of the National Clean Air Program (NCAP).

The heavy-duty vehicle will have an analyzer to record PM 2.5, and PM 10, and a multi-gas calibration system to record SO2, NO, CO, O3, and NH3.