By the end of 2025, Mumbai will have 75 low-cost sensors to monitor local sources of air pollution. The total project cost will be Rs 3.8 crore and the proposal is submitted to BMC’s finance department for scrutiny. The machines will be provided by IIT Kanpur under the Mumbai Air Network for Advanced Science (MANAS), which includes testing and installation.
“The Municipal Commissioner is expected to give final approval by next month. The institute has to install the air pollution monitoring sensors within nine months of the project's approval. The sensors will be first co-located with the existing monitoring systems and tested for the first few weeks. The installation of all 75 sensors after testing is expected to be completed by December,” a senior officer from BMC’s environment department said.
The additional sensors will help the BMC to pinpoint locations that majorly contribute to air pollution in Mumbai. This will further help the authorities in evidence-based intervention and mitigate the sources of air pollution. IIT Kanpur submitted a revised proposal for ‘MANAS’ last month. BMC had earlier planned to install 250 low-cost sensors to monitor local sources of air pollution, however, brought down to 75.
The project falls under Mumbai’s Climate Action Plan (CAP), implemented by BMC’s Environment & Climate Change department. In the BMC budget for FY 2025-26 proposed last week, a provision of Rs 113 crore has been made to strengthen the department and its capacity to implement the CAP.
Other measures taken under Mumbai CAP to control air pollution include setting up five new Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations and procurement of four mobile vans and 100 Battery-Operated Suction Machines to suppress airborne dust particles, development of the ‘Mumbai Air’ App and others.
