Mumbai Pollution News: Flying Squads, VTMS Vans, Shutdown Warnings — BMC Tightens Rules As AQI Crosses 200
The BMC has also warned that if AQI stays above 200 despite mitigation efforts, industries and construction activities contributing to pollution will be shut under the Graded Response Action Plan.
Amid growing pollution concerns, Mumbai’s civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, has deployed flying squads across all administrative wards to enforce its 28-point air pollution control guidelines more strictly, as per an NDTV report. Officials have been directed to take firm action against violators.
Each squad will comprise two ward-level engineers and a police personnel, supported by a vehicle equipped with a Vehicle Tracking and Monitoring System (VTMS).
A senior civic official said, “The squads will ensure strict implementation of all BMC directives, oversee sensor-based air-quality monitoring units and LED displays, and act against practices such as garbage burning and the use of wood as fuel.”
The BMC has also warned that if the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stays above 200 despite active mitigation efforts, industries and construction activities contributing to pollution will be shut under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-4). All Deputy Municipal Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners have been instructed to monitor compliance closely and take swift action wherever needed.
“The civic body is currently prioritising measures such as promoting cleaner fuel in bakeries and crematoriums, expanding electric bus operations, scientific processing of construction debris, and dust suppression through misting and water spraying on roads,” another official said.
The detailed air pollution guidelines issued on 15 October 2024 require construction sites to install sheet barricading and green cloth covers, conduct regular water sprinkling, store debris scientifically, and put up air-quality monitoring and dust-extraction systems. These rules are available on the BMC’s official website.
The BMC has urged citizens to avoid activities that worsen air pollution and to cooperate with ongoing mitigation measures.
Mumbai has recently seen a worrying spike in pollution levels. According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), October 2025 was the city’s most polluted month of the year so far, with several monitoring stations reporting record PM2.5 and PM10 levels due to a combination of festival firecrackers, construction dust, and traffic emissions.
Dense morning smog has persisted across multiple neighbourhoods this month, with the AQI frequently rising into the ‘unhealthy’ category.
