Overview
- On October 25, Awaaz Foundation sent a letter to the Maharashtra chief minister and the BMC commissioner after photographing construction-site displays 230 times over 38 days and finding repeated zero, single-digit or unreadable PM2.5/PM10 readings.
- The foundation compared site displays with nearby CPCB stations in Kherwadi and BKC and recorded days when government monitors showed much higher PM10 while some site boards showed zero or dashes.
- BMC officials acknowledged possible malfunctions, ordered faulty construction-site monitors to be repaired within three days, and said site sensors are used for local ‘hotspot monitoring’ with plans to integrate their data into a central dashboard that will use AI tools.
- An MPCB official said regional officers will be asked to verify Awaaz’s findings and the BMC has proposed third-party audits to check sensor function, maintenance and tampering before any site data is treated as official.
- Awaaz has demanded calibration of every site monitor, publication of real-time time-stamped PM2.5 data and deployment of monitoring vans because unverified low-cost sensors can mislead public-health decisions and distort the city’s air-quality picture.