Awaaz Foundation has asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to publicly release live data from air-quality monitors installed at construction sites across Mumbai, along with calibration records, equipment failures, repairs and enforcement action against sites that do not comply. The demand was made in a letter dated October 28 to BMC commissioner Ashwini Bhide, according to a report by the Times of India.
The environmental NGO’s request comes after a BMC circular issued on November 6, 2025, which sets out a standard operating procedure for ensuring that construction-site air-quality monitors remain functional. The procedure requires monitoring data to be transmitted live to the civic body’s Command and Control Centre, with the equipment remaining online for more than 95% of the time.
Under the procedure described by Awaaz Foundation, faulty equipment must be repaired within six hours and replaced within 24 hours. Sensors are required to be calibrated every two months, while ongoing construction sites must complete a co-location check within six months. The circular also identifies the reporting of zero values as a known indication of a sensor fault, the foundation said.
Awaaz Foundation founder Sumaira Abdulali has sought a dedicated public website through which residents can view live monitoring data and check the calibration status of individual monitors. The proposed platform would also display details of faulty equipment, repairs and replacements, as well as show-cause notices and stop-work action taken against construction sites.
The demand would shift information about construction-site pollution monitoring from an internal compliance process to a publicly accessible system. At present, the foundation’s request specifically covers whether monitors are operational, whether their readings have been checked through calibration and co-location procedures, and what action has followed when sites fail to meet the requirements. The BMC’s response to the letter was not included in the report.
The foundation has also reiterated its demand that the civic body deploy monitoring vans fitted with high-quality air-pollution instruments. It said such mobile monitoring would provide more localised readings across Mumbai, particularly during Diwali, when widespread firecracker use can produce sharp and localised pollution spikes.
According to the foundation, access to timely and location-specific information would allow residents to understand changing pollution conditions and take precautions. The request places emphasis not only on the publication of readings, but also on the reliability of the equipment producing them. Details such as calibration, downtime, repairs and enforcement would allow users to assess whether a reading reflects actual conditions or a monitoring failure.
The BMC circular’s requirements provide the administrative framework cited in the letter: live data transmission, minimum equipment availability, defined repair and replacement timelines, periodic calibration, co-location checks and action against non-compliant sites. The next step is the civic body’s response to the foundation’s request for a public data portal and mobile monitoring vans.
