MUMBAI: Vehicular pollution is the main reason for the heavy winter smog and the bad air Mumbaikars are breathing. The number of vehicles per kilometer of road length in the city is 647, a situation the authorities call alarming.

Experts say this forces vehicles to drive at speeds from 5 to 15 kmph (not above the third gear) leading to heavy emission of half-burnt gases and fuel. They say a steady speed of 50 kmph is ideal to ensure low emission, but congestion on the city's roads does not permit this.

Mumbai: The city’s skyline may have more skyscrapers in future if the state authorities consider the central government’s recommendation to review the FSI policy for Mumbai to meet the affordable housing demand. The recommendation came on Monday.

Union housing minister Ajay Maken said megacities like Mumbai needed to review the FSI (floor space index) policy to encourage more affordable housing. He said affordable housing should now be accorded the status of basic infrastructure to facilitate more stock of affordable houses for the urban populace. He was addressing a meet on ‘Challenges in Megacity Governance’, organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with Centre for Policy Research (CPR), New Delhi. CII president Adi Godrej presided over the inaugural session.

Coastline Is Most Prone To Pollution In 1st Week Of Jan

An India-UN survey has revealed that solid waste disposed off on the beaches of Sindhudurg is voluminous enough to pose a serious threat to the district’s rich marine biodiversity. What is true there is true in the rest of coastal Maharashtra as well. It is in winter, especially in January, that tourists in large numbers descend on the beaches of Devgad, Malvan and Vengurla—three talukas that are the state’s prime holiday destinations.

‘Need To Regulate Use Of Multi-Tone Horns That Pose A Health Hazard’

Mumbai: Sirens and multitone horns in vehicles that flout the prescribed decibel levels are a serious hazard to citizens, said the national green tribunal in its judgment. The tribunal has directed the police not to allow private vehicles to use such devices in residential areas, silence zones and in the vicinity of educational institutes, hospitals and sensitive areas. It also wants the police not to allow such vehicles during nighttime, except for emergencies.