Air quality in Dombivli

What is the air quality index of Dombivli?

Dombivli is a city located near Mumbai in the Thane district of Maharashtra state, India. It is part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Being so close to the megapolis that is Mumbai, the population figure can only be looked at as a guide. According to a 2011 survey, Dombivli had a population of just over 1 million people.

It is part of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network and is on the Central Line. It is the busiest station of the entire line with a daily average footfall of over 300,000 commuters every day!

At the beginning of 2021, Dombivli was experiencing a period of Very “Unhealthy” air with a US AQI reading of 182. This is in accordance with the classifications as stipulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The recorded level of PM2.5 was 116.3 µg/m³. With levels being as high as this, the advice is to close doors and windows to prevent the ingress of dirty air into the rooms. Those of a sensitive disposition must take extra care and wear a mask at all times, especially when venturing outside. Outdoor exercise of all types should be postponed until the air quality improves. An air purifier would be advantageous if there is one available for your use.

Is Dombivli polluted?

A most unusual occurrence happened in early 2020 when one of the main roads in Dombivli turned pink. This colour was quite a strong colour and was visible for over 1 kilometre.

This is thought to be due to pollution from a paint factory that used to be here but closed several years ago. The drains in the area are very badly damaged and often release water onto the roadside.

It is thought that the colour came from the paint factory discharge and was absorbed by the soil. Now that the drains are broken, water flows through this soil once more and carries the pollution with it.

It is not the first colourful happening in this area as several years ago it was reported that the rain turned green at one point. Significantly, coloured soil was also found while digging in the area but it is not yet known how the soil became coloured.

What are the main sources of pollution in Dombivli?

Some 1,400 medium and small scale enterprises in the four industrial sectors made up 70 per cent of the polluting industries in MMR. Although other sources of fuel are used in all these areas, coal is still the most used source of energy. Mumbai's air quality is declining drastically and is the most important contributor to the amount of coal used in industrial areas. These industrial areas are Trans-Thane Creek (TTC), Taloja Industrial Area, Ambarnath and Dombivli.

According to a report, 88 out of 1,389 industrial units of the four industries used PNG. More than double that number - 196 units - use agricultural residues, and about five times that number - 419 units - are dependent on coal for energy. The annual average consumption of coal is around two million tonnes while liquid fuel consumption is around 1.2 million tonnes and furnace oil is 0.2 million tonnes.

There was quite some controversy several years ago when the local government was lobbied by the National Green Tribunal over the contaminating state of almost 40 factories in and around the industrial zone.

Due to neglect by the nonchalant owners of these companies and the officials of Maharashtra Pollution Board, heavy pollution had spread throughout the city of Dombivli for the last 25 to 30 years by which time thousands of residents of the city were suffering from many health problems. The decision had finally been made to close all these offending factories down, with immediate effect. This meant the loss of jobs for between 13 and 15,000 workers. Many returned to their local villages from whence they came whilst some of the others remained in the search for new positions.

Because of pollutants getting into the water table, groundwater in Dombivli has also been affected. One resident stated that there is polluted water in the well of his house. Chemical examination of this water revealed that it is no longer potable.

Can the quality of Dombivli’s air be improved?

Along with the analysis of the situation, the CSE report also contains a list of actions that can be taken to ensure that Mumbai and its environs can fix its air pollution problem. Here are some solutions. These industries consume a significant amount of coal, there is scope for industries in these areas to convert to clean (er) fuel. Efforts are already being made to convert some factories to PNG.

Another measure that the report recommends is to encourage a switch to clean fuels and encourage polluting industries to make the necessary changes. The report states that cleaner fuels should also be less expensive, so industries are equally encouraged to change. If a sector or industry is not able to obtain PNG, CSE recommends that they do not use high-sulphur fuel oil. Medium and small enterprises should be subsidised to help them purchase air pollution control devices, while a proper mechanism is put in place to punish medium and large-scale enterprises.

What are the health implications of Dombivli’s polluted air?

Air pollution has now become the third-largest cause of death in terms of health risk ranking in India.

The problem of increasing pollution in the country can be gauged from the fact that air pollution has now become the third biggest cause of death in terms of health risk ranking in India.

In such a situation, the issue of health insurance covering the disease caused by pollution has become necessary.

Almost all metro cities of the country are currently struggling with air pollution and because of this, people are forced to breathe in severely polluted air, which is having a detrimental effect on their health.

Most people treat diseases caused by pollution in the Outpatients Department (OPD) because these diseases do not require hospitalisation.

Many doctors also say that up until 30 years ago, 80 to 90 per cent of the patients with lung cancer coming to them were smokers. Most of them were men between 50 and 60 years of age. But in the last six years, more than half of patients with lung cancer have never smoked and about 40 per cent of them are women.