Mumbai can't be the panacea to every empty stomach, shift jobs elsewhere too: L&T CFO

R Shankar Raman, CFO, L&T

The worsening air pollution in Mumbai is not just a result of construction activities but is also linked to the city's ever-increasing population, coupled with the broader issue of imperfect town planning, Larsen & Toubro's Chief Financial Officer R Shankar Raman told Moneycontrol on November 1.

"Mumbai cannot be the panacea to every empty stomach, jobs need to be shifted elsewhere as well," Raman said in the exclusive interview with Moneycontrol. Urban and city planners should look at ways to solve the broader issues of city planning in Mumbai, which are key to reducing the pollution levels, he suggested.

Air pollution caused by vehicular emissions, depleting green cover, coupled with dust pollution caused by construction activity are all equally to be blamed for the poor quality of air in Mumbai this year, he said.

"Construction seems to be an easy target (to blame for air pollution) as it is the most visible, but equal measure vehicular pollution is something that we should be bothered about," Raman said.

While construction activity contributes to half of the air pollution in Mumbai, the other half of the pollution is caused by vehicular pollution and bad quality roads in the city which cause traffic jams and, therefore, more vehicular pollution and ongoing deforestation going on across the city.

He added that L&T has been working with the government on a pro-bono basis to create standard operating protocols (SOPs) to reduce dust pollution at construction sites for the past few months. "Most of the measures announced by the government to curb air pollution at construction sites are SOPs recommended by L&T that we already implement at our construction sites."

Raman said that as part of L&T's SOPs to reduce the impact of construction on air pollution, the company regularly uses water sprinklers at its construction sites to reduce dust pollution, and also uses wet cloths to absorb dust particles. "We also use barricades, and if you drive around Mumbai you will notice the difference in our barricades when compared to other players."

L&T also plants saplings for every tree it cuts down due to construction. "We planted 2 million saplings in 2023-24 itself to make up for the trees we have felled due to our construction," Raman pointed out, adding, that most other contractors do not follow such protocols.

India's key metro cities  - Delhi and Mumbai - have been waking up to worsening quality of air for more than a week now. Air pollution in both cities has been hovering at an alarming level, with no signs of improvement any time season, given the approaching festive season and the winters when the air becomes denser with pollutants.

According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board, as of 4pm on October 19, Mumbai had an average AQI (air quality index) score of 156, while it was 121 for New Delhi.

However, air quality in Delhi on October 20, 21, and 22 surpassed the 160 levels seen in Mumbai during the corresponding period and skyrocketed to 250-plus levels, reaching a peak of 340 on the night of October 21.

While the financial capital has been waking up to a thick blanket of smog owing to a rapid increase in construction activity, the national capital has been falling asleep to a ghastly layer of clag that has engulfed the city for the past three days.

According to experts, the situations in both cities could worsen, setting the stage for a dangerous winter.