00:00For years, we thought of Delhi as India's pollution capital, as the world's pollution capital as well.
00:07Mumbai was a city of sea breezes, open spaces, supposedly better air.
00:12But now, even that advantage seems to be failing.
00:16In a shocking turn, Mumbai has been recording pollution levels that have rivaled and at times even surpassed that of
00:25the national capital.
00:26Now, the Bombay High Court took note of this and they're asking some questions.
00:30They're asking the question on every Mumbaykar's mind.
00:34How did we get here?
00:36The court has expressed serious concern over the city's deteriorating air quality,
00:41calling the situation alarming and questioning how officials can sleep peacefully while citizens struggle to breathe.
00:47It has also criticised the slow enforcement, lack of public warning and ongoing violations despite prior orders.
00:54The judges there stressed that health impact of toxic smog and firecrackers demanding urgent action.
01:02Authorities have been instructed to create enforcement protocols, raise public awareness and also submit a compliance report.
01:09Now, this comes after the Bombay High Court made its position very clear.
01:13Firecrackers are banned on public streets.
01:15It also said that roads, lanes and footpaths across Maharashtra throughout the year shall not be allowed.
01:22The court has also prohibited their use in areas around hospitals and schools and directed authorities to ensure strict enforcement.
01:30But that's the big question.
01:32Enforcement.
01:33Will that really happen?
01:34And here's the big point here.
01:36Firecrackers are only one part of the problem.
01:39Mumbai cannot breathe easy through a ban alone.
01:43Let's look at what's choking Mumbai.
01:47For starters, construction dust.
01:49We've known this evil for the longest time.
01:51The city's relentless redevelopment.
01:54Vehicle emissions, industrial pollution and dry post-monsoon weather is when the winds are weak.
02:00Pollutants linger instead of dispersing.
02:03And then comes the firecrackers.
02:06So there's a baseline pollution which has been formed in and then adding to that problem is when firecrackers come
02:12in.
02:12Adding another burst of toxic smoke on an already polluted air.
02:17The question now is where do Indians really go to breathe easy again?
02:22And why is it taking citizens, media, judges to bring this to focus?
02:27Our politicians are breathing the same air.
02:29Why aren't they as worried?
02:31Their parents, their kids are also breathing in the same air.
02:34Why aren't they taking the issue of air pollution at war footing?
02:42Vidya joins us live for more details on the story from Mumbai.
02:46Vidya, we've been talking about this issue for a while.
02:49You know, the battle between Mumbai and Delhi has been an old one.
02:53But we never thought in our wildest dreams that this would become one of bad air pollution.
02:58And who has worse air?
03:00What's particularly, you know, you know, really surprising about these numbers is that at a time when Delhi pollution is
03:07said to be going at its peaks, Mumbai is still really bad.
03:11Is there, you know, in Delhi, it's a very active issue.
03:15In Mumbai, do you think people care about air pollution as they started speaking about air pollution as much?
03:21And do you have an air purifier now in your house, just like all us Delhiites?
03:27No, many people in Mumbai, it's not just now, but for the last few years, we have been seeing as
03:33to how there are people who keep air purifiers,
03:36especially, you know, people who live around the area where there is a lot of construction happening.
03:41And remember, Mumbai specifically has been undergoing a lot of, you know, construction work.
03:46Mega projects are underway.
03:48There's coastal road on one way.
03:49There is the metro construction.
03:52Just almost in every area that you can see, there is some other mega project happening.
03:58And that's one of the reasons why the Bombay High Court very specifically had been saying that, you know, the
04:03cities are turning into gas chambers.
04:05And during the last hearing, the court had said so, and when it had actually asked, directed that, you know,
04:13firecrackers not be permitted on open roads.
04:16They can only be permitted in, say, open spaces, you know, wherein there is airflow.
04:21But however, in spite of that order, the courts, the bench, the judges themselves said that we have seen as
04:28to how there are these blatant violations that have happened during the festivities.
04:32And not a single authority has said that right outside the chief, you know, the police commissioner's office, there were
04:38firecrackers that were burned and there's nothing that was done.
04:41So, you know, these are the issues that the court has been pointing out as to how there has been
04:47a lackadaisical approach from the authorities.
04:49And it's not just the, you know, the authorities who are doing the work of trying to ensure that such
04:55things do not happen.
04:56But the fact that both MPCB, the BMC are doing nothing.
05:00This is what exactly the court has been speaking about as to authorities need to move, make a move and
05:06ensure that the public falls in line.
05:09All right, Vidya, the authorities are not talking about it.
05:12They haven't even woken up.
05:14They're not smelling the smoke just yet.
05:16But we really hope that they do.
05:18Now that the High Court has intervened, we really hope that the government will respond and take necessary actions.
05:23Remember, in Delhi, we have grab anywhere across the country.
05:26Even that's not there.
05:27So Mumbai at the moment, as we speak, not sensitized as a society, not prepared with the right equipment to
05:34even fight it.
05:35So in a way, they are in a much worse condition than us.
05:38At the moment, at least.
