Mumbai Real Estate: Premium Views Face Pollution Challenges
In the mid and luxury segments of Mumbai's real estate market, homebuyers are increasingly valuing premium views, whether that is a sea-facing, sea view, or forest view apartment. While many developers promote the project, leveraging the views as a key selling point, netizens on social media opine that the sea view and forest view often become polluted views during winter.
According to real estate consultants and developers, homebuyers often pay a premium for apartments with better views. "Be it sea view, sea facing, forest or mangrove view, homebuyers pay a premium for a better view. The premium paid by homebuyers is high if the view comes with a balcony. It can later also be a garden view, swimming pool or a clubhouse view," said Jitesh Punj, a real estate consultant from Mumbai's suburbs.
The price of these premium views depends on the locality, quality of the view, and the segment of the product. For example, a prominent developer in Mumbai's Vikhroli is charging around ₹30 lakh premium for a mangrove view apartment. In Mumbai's Dahisar, in the western suburbs, a 2 BHK apartment in a tall building with a better view of the forest and creek is priced at around ₹1.80 crore to ₹2 crore. However, the same type of apartment in the same stage can be purchased for around ₹1.50 crore to ₹1.60 crore. Hence, the premium charged by the tall tower is for the view.
According to netizens, while homebuyers pay a premium for apartments with a better view, the view is spoiled due to the air quality index (AQI), which impacts visibility during winter. "What is the point of purchasing an apartment in a tall building with a view? It is polluted during the winter, and during the monsoon, it becomes cloudy, so the balcony remains shut again. Hence, essentially, we purchase the view for the summers," a user posted on X. Another user on X said, "It is polluted most of the time of the year."
In light of rising air pollution with the advent of winter, Mumbai’s civic body has sounded a warning for construction sites and industries: if the AQI of a ward stays consistently above AQI 200 (“Poor”) for three days or more, all construction and industrial activity will be stopped under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP 4). Flying squads have been constituted to enforce these regulations, as reported by Hindustan Times on November 21.
Marine Drive in Mumbai is a prime example of sea-facing apartments in the city. On the other hand, sea-view apartments are those located near Churchgate station. Most of these structures are taller than the sea-facing buildings along Marine Drive, offering a great view of the sea. However, the ‘sea view’ offered by these buildings is not permanent, as there’s always a likelihood of the ‘view’ being obstructed by a taller building that may come up in front of it in the future.
Most housing units located near the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in the suburbs, or the mangroves, offer a green view. Green or forest views are available for apartments located in areas such as Dahisar, Borivali, Kandivali, Malad, Goregaon, Vikhroli, Wadala, Bhandup, and Mulund, among others, in suburban Mumbai.
