Smog Shuts Down 74 Schools In Mumbai

Mumbai: A sharp spike in pollution and thick smog has forced the government to close 74 municipal schools in Mumbai's Deonar and Shivaji Nagar areas for two days.

Parts of Mumbai have been engulfed in a thick blanket of smog since Thursday due to a large fire at the Deonar garbage dumping ground on the city's eastern  fringe, compounded by factors including a drop in temperature and vehicular pollution.

Air quality in Mumbai will continue to remain between 'poor' and 'very poor' in the coming days, weather officials said. Today, the financial capital found itself among the top 10 most polluted cities in the country.

Taking stock of the situation the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or BMC shut down the schools for Friday and Saturday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis promised immediate action.

Spoke to Mumbai Municipal Commissioner. He assured that no stone will be left unturned to control the smoke at Deonar.

- Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) January 30, 2016

Satellite images showed a plume of smoke from the fire at the Deonar dumping ground on the eastern fringe of Mumbai, has not only covering the entire Island city but has spread deeper into the Arabian Sea and also affected the coastal areas of Maharashtra in Raigad district.

Rais Shaikh, a Samajwadi Party leader who had urged the BMC to close down the schools, said, "Given the drastic rise in pollution level around dumping grounds in Central Mumbai, this was needed."

Experts have blamed a lack of solid waste management policy and crammed dumping yards Mumbai Municipal Corporation's for the fire in Deonar.

"South and Central Mumbai are worst affected by air pollution due to the breeze pattern. Our dumping yards are ticking time bombs, holding garbage beyond their capacity. The BMC needs to start waste reduction at source to improve things," said Rishi Agarwal an environmentalist.