“We want people to tell us the possible steps that can be taken to save ourselves from the harmful effects of air pollution” …Arvind Kejriwal
“Before you call yourself a Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu or any other theology, learn to be human first as then only you can protect nature.” …
an American inspirational author, therapist Ms Alder or a small-time builder engineer, Me, neither the subject nor the impact (read as bad) spares nobody which is my subject of sharing! Last year only I have shared some views on this topic & then the reason was formation of a committee or say forum by PMC (plz google) which is our governing local body to fight against increasing air pollution & this week in a step further on the path a seminar was organized by PMC, only to assess outcome of steps taken as well to discuss what more can be done. As representative of Credai Pune (plz google), I was honoured to be an invitee as well given an opportunity to share my views on a dais where who’s who of the city were present. I will share that later but first a glimpse about the seminar.
Many a people frown at mention of such seminars of initiatives & equal number comments, “Kahi farak nahi poadnar,” “kashala wel way ghalawtos aapla” & frankly I can translate the words in English but the tone & given-up attitude I won’t be able to translate from these words, so be it. And I don’t blame all such people as unfortunately slowly the entire society is losing belief or confidence in the system which we call govt but that's a different subject of sharing & I personally believe, if everybody starts giving up on every front then the doomsday is not far away! And the pollution that too air pollution is something of which we all are victim & if we don’t fight it or at least join hands with those who are fighting the war, then we don’t have right to call us civilized & second, our next generation (if it comes in existence) will never forgive us for what we didn’t do for them! Ok, I know its emotional dosage but then that is necessary to shake the people who are frowning & giving up comments when the war with air pollution is just started! The seminar’s joint organizer was WRR (World Resource Institute), an institute which studies weather or say air quality & assisting PMC on the subject & in a presentation they gave outlook about the situation in the city, reasons of deteriorating air quality of city & factors responsible for the same as well measures being taken about it! And I wasn’t surprised with the outcome which points finger at two front constructions ongoing in the city & vehicles exhausts which combinedly are responsible for more than seventy percent of suspended particles which damages air quality & in that also construction (not just real estate) is responsible for nearly twenty three percent of suspended particles or say dust. Frankly, I don’t go by these figures as it’s a big city with lots of factors which are responsible for air quality & its difficult to pinpoint one industry or organization or institution for the same, & I won’t bother you with numbers & hazardousness of them as news papers are doing that job more than perfectly (sarcasm)!
No wonder, the presentation by WRR has scan images of recent newspaper headlines showing how Pune’s air pollution is increasing (due to constructions) & it also mentioned importance of installing Air Sensors at construction site as their point was only if you know what you are dealing with then you can deal with in right way, so first step is to measure the air pollution (or quality) at sites & I agree this aspect. The presentation further stated the precautions & arrangements needed to be done at site for which guidelines made by PMC (with assistance of technical committee) were also shown to the audience! Hon Mayor of Pune & Municipal Commissioner along with other senior bureaucrats & officers of PMC also shared their views & efforts being taken for controlling air pollution. Most of them mentioned headlines of news papers about pollution & Hon MC also mentioned that he has been transferred here from Delhi which we all know has worst air quality & he thought his Pune tenure will be a good breather as he was earlier here as Pune Collector but too his surprise a lot has changes on air quality level & joking, he said it’s like the pollution has followed him from Delhi! Though a good part is, he does mention PMC is with developers & reason is the numbers of constructions going on at a time & UDCPR for some extent is responsible for increased FSI being offered to the plots/ societies! And all the officers as well elected members appealed (read as warned) builders to follow the norms for air pollution or else stringent action will be taken against them (what else)! Also fixing Air Sensors’ which is mandatory for the construction area above fifty thousand sft now the PMC is thinking of making it mandatory for smaller size buildings also & at the cost of builders (again what else)!
On such a background when I rose to share my views about air quality in the city, the feeling was like I am speaking as a mass murderer who has no lawyer to represent & has to put forward his own innocence! Well, I didn’t intend to speak anything to prove myself or developer’s innocent as three things, one is, nobody was interested in listening that, second is, in our country builders are always wrong & third is, it’s not about proving who is wrong & right but what’s needed to be done for good air quality, should be the approach, which I tried to follow! The subject is complex & more complex is the solution & I started my sharing by telling, there are numbers of companies which shows us air quality index, just the way there are many instruments to measure my blood pressure, but there is no instrument which tells me how to control my blood pressure, as that is something I myself has to do by my life style, air pollution is same! And I mean it, as if BP & Diabetes are lifestyle- generated diseases then air pollution is also the same, the only difference is, here the entire city is patient! And as you can’t blame one particular organ of your body nor held that organ responsible for your increased BP, same way just one industry or segment or organization won’t be responsible for poor air quality of the city, high time we must understand & accept this fact, is what I requested (mind it, requested)!
Indeed, air sensors are important as unless you don’t know what to control, how are you going to control it is the logic but real fight starts after that only! At the same time the air quality of city hasn’t gone to bad levels in a single day so in a single day it won’t recover this fact also we must take in to account & green net-shed around the construction, as well water sprinklers & all such arrangements are superficial or say short term, what we will be doing long term will matter more is also I mentioned. Take example of the machine of water fogging which has been installed on a vehicle & it moves around the city, its great sight & may be effective for some time but what that sprinkled water does is it just makes the suspended particles in air to settle down on ground (simple physics) & when the water gets evaporated these particles again becomes free & becomes dust on the road, have we thought that? Need is, start doing parallel arrangements at policy level & I won’t go into the numeric of air quality but simple logic we need green cover & lots of it which will permanently absorb the bad elements in air & for that we have to change basic things in UDCPR or say DC rules. For example, there were constructions earlier also but the need for increased parking & liberty of going for the basement till the edge of the plot has made us remove the big trees which have been planted all along the boundaries of most plots. These trees were the best dust filters actually, & we have now removed them, so we must relax height norms for parking & curtail basements to give space for big growing trees along boundaries of projects, is one sure way for good air for ever! Same is happening with the trees along most of the roads as for the parking or drive way area we cut down the tree. We may be planting the new ones but they will take years to grow tall & start cleaning the air around them, what till then, is my question to all! For this we must act fast, form a technical committee which will take bold but right decisions for good air quality & get those approved without a biased mind towards any industry & implement them, is the right way! On construction techniques fortunately with readymade concrete & pumping systems the on-site dust generation is reduced actually a lot & same has happened with surface textures which have replaced outside & inside plaster, which actually were the main cause of dust earlier!
At the same time, we are not the only city which is facing this problem but every major city in the world has degraded its air quality, so we must study what they are doing to achieve the right outcome. Thankfully, with internet & google & technology sharing of information isn’t any more dependent on Physical Study Tours (though they are important) & this committee can search through all information available, scrutinize the same & form our own solutions. The way PMC is ready to punish defaulting builders, we can reward also to the projects who are following best practices & maintaining healthy air quality & for that Clean Air Site competition also can be thought of! As air pollution as I said is like a lifestyle disease, it may not have a cut paste solution but every case is needed to study individually & treated & for the Credai Pune is ready to join hands with all, is what I assured! Here the role of citizens also is equally important as the flat buyers also must ask these questions to their respective builder as what measures he or she is taking to conserve nature at large & for that you must also look beyond just per sft rate & discounts you are getting on it while you buy your home! To conclude, going with the same analogy, to control your Blood Pressure or Sugar you can’t make just your hand or leg or liver to exercise & expect the result but entire body & mind needs to come together to keep BP in control, same way, PMC (read as govt) is mind & builders as well other industries & other segments are the body here, & combinedly only, we can control air pollution, adios with this warning!
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Sanjay Deshpande
Sanjeevani Dev.
Please view my sharing about finding a Right Home/ Office in Pune, at YouTube link below & share if liked...
https://youtu.be/27j3I3rwGPQ?si=-ODYBxVI2Dl_C345
Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying!
https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2025/12/pune-real-estate-in-2026.html
https://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2024/12/2025.html
Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72157627904681345
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www.punecorporation.org
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