Mumbai: An odour monitoring van has been deployed at the Kanjurmarg landfill site from Tuesday, with round-the-clock monitoring initiated in line with directions issued during an ongoing hearing in the Bombay high court.
Civic officials said the mobile unit will continuously measure key air quality parameters including PM10, PM2.5, carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ammonia (NH3) and ozone (O3). The move comes amid concerns over persistent foul odour complaints from nearby residential areas. The high court has specifically directed authorities to study odour intensity during night hours between 1 am and 6 am, when residents have reported the problem to be most severe.
As part of the monitoring protocol, site supervisors will conduct perimeter checks at least twice daily and maintain an "odour diary". Additional checks will be carried out if there is any indication of potential odour release, such as the presence of decomposing waste or stagnant water. Officials said monitoring frequency could increase to once every three hours in case of adverse conditions.
Rather than fixed monitoring stations, the system relies on mobile observation based on wind direction. If easterly or westerly winds prevail, staff will assess odour spread from the north or south side of the landfill. Any detected odour will be immediately reported to site management for corrective action, officials said. All observations and remedial measures will be logged and made available for inspection by authorities, said civic officials.
The development comes against the backdrop of a petition filed by Vikhroli resident and activist Sanjay Yelve, who has flagged the impact of emissions on densely populated areas including Kannamwar Nagar, Mulund, Bhandup and Vikhroli. The petitioner has argued that the odour and pollution are affecting a population of over 15 lakh people.
Hearing the matter, a division bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Aarati Sathe observed that such complaints affecting a large residential population cannot remain unaddressed, pointing to the potential health impacts and persistent discomfort caused to citizens.
In a significant move, a team of judges also visited the landfill site on Saturday, exactly a day after indicating they were open to a surprise inspection.
