Survey finds half of Mumbai's bakeries using wood, pitches for cleaner fuel

An environmental non-profit has raised concerns over the alarming use of wood as fuel in Mumbai's bakeries, warning that it poses serious health risks to citizens and batting for the adoption of cleaner methods to combat air pollution.

The Bombay Environment Action Group (BEAG) surveyed 200 bakeries across the city over six months and found that about 47 per cent of these establishments rely on wood fuel, primarily scrap sourced from furniture stores, for their operations.

This practice releases harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM2.5) into the air, which leads to asthma and other diseases, BEAG has said in a report.

PM2.5 refers to fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less. They can enter the lungs and even the bloodstream, making them particularly harmful to human health.

As per the study, the Byculla and Mumbai Central areas (E ward) have the highest concentration of bakeries, with 84 establishments, followed by Andheri (K West war