The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) receieved 63% more complaints on air pollution in 2016 compared to 2015, data released by NGO Praja Foundation on Tuesday revealed.
The average air quality index (AQI), a measure of air pollution in the city, was 170 in January and 103 in March in 2016.
An AQI between 0 and100 falls under the ‘good’ or ‘satisfactory’ category. AQI levels between 101 and 200 are ‘moderate’ and 201-300 are ‘poor’. “The moderate AQI can be attributed to the constant fire incidents that broke out in the Deonar dumping ground,” the report reveals.
The city also recorded moderate air quality in the months of November and December in 2016 at 113 and 164. The BMC also got 16 complaints on nuisance owing to masala mills and 51 on pollution beacuse of chemical effluents.
Praja, an NGO working towards creating an accountable government, released its report on state of civic affairs in the city. The overall complaints registered by citizens on civic issues also dipped by 12% between 2012 and 2016. The NGO has collected data through the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
