The Delhi government has started an anti-dust campaign in the National Capital from today onwards. This campaign will run for the next one month till June 8.

Under the campaign, 235 patrolling teams of 629 personnel and 165 patrolling teams of 433 personnel at night from 13 departments have been deployed for inspection all over Delhi. Along with this, it is mandatory to do self-registration of all construction sites above 500 square meters on the C&D portal.

Orders have been issued to all the departments for continuous inspection of C&D sites and to take action on violation of the 14 construction rules at these construction sites. To prevent dust pollution, 84 Mechanical Road Sweeping (MRS) machines, 609 water sprinklers and 185 mobile anti-smog guns have been deployed and 70 new Integrated Mechanical Road Sweeping (MRS) machines and 250 Integrated Water Sprinkler machines will be procured soon. Today a review meeting was held with all the departments regarding the procurement by Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai.

Giving information about the anti-dust campaign, Rai said, “Air pollution in Delhi is improving steadily due to the stringent steps taken by the Delhi government under the leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The government’s efforts have resulted in a decline of 30 per cent in air pollution levels in Delhi from 2016 to 2022-23. With the initiation of the Real Time Source Appreciation Study by the Delhi government, it has become clear that the factors contributing to pollution vary in winter and summer.”

“During winter, pollution is largely caused by fluctuations in the weather. This includes stubble burning, firecrackers, exhaust from vehicles and open fires. On the other hand, in summer, pollution mainly occurs due to dust, mountains of garbage and fire in bushes. Conversely, during summer, pollution primarily results from dust, heaps of waste, and wildfires. Consequently, to address the issue of pollution during the summer months, the Chief Minister unveiled a 14-point summer action plan on May 1st. To bring further improvement in air pollution in Delhi, as a part of summer action plan, our government is starting the anti-dust campaign in Delhi for next one month from 8th May i.e. from today,” the environment minister said.

Under the anti-dust campaign, 235 patrolling teams of 629 personnel and 165 patrolling teams of 433 personnel at night from 13 departments have been deployed for inspection all over Delhi. These teams will operate round the clock to observe and avert occurrences of dust pollution in Delhi. Their report will also be shared with the Environment Department and DPCC from time to time.

The Delhi Environment Minister said dust pollution arising from construction sites proves to be very harmful for the health of the people.

He said to address this issue, the Construction and Demolition Portal was introduced. All construction sites that cover an area of 500 square meters or more are required to self-register on this portal. Presently, there are 750 registered sites on this portal. The aim of this campaign is to ensure that all active C&D sites are registered on the portal. DPCC will examine the self-assessment reports of all registered sites on the portal.

“For this, instructions have been issued to the departments to continuously monitor the construction sites. To achieve this, the relevant departments have been instructed to monitor construction sites regularly. If construction sites violate any rules, the department will take appropriate action as per the NGT directions,” the Delhi Environment Minister said.

He said 84 Mechanical Road Sweeping (MRS) machines, 609 water sprinklers and 185 mobile anti-smog guns have been deployed across Delhi to prevent dust pollution.

“Regarding dust pollution, earlier there was a rule to install anti-smog guns only on construction sites above 20,000 square meters. Now, on the basis of the new rules, it has been made mandatory to install anti-smog guns at the construction site of an area of 5000 square meters and above,” the Delhi Environment Minister said.

An anti-smog gun at the construction site measuring 5,000 to 10,000  square metres. Two anti-smog guns at those construction sites measuring 10 thousand to 15 thousand square meters. Three anti-smog guns at 15 thousand to 20 thousand square meter construction sites and at least four anti-smog guns at construction sites above 20 thousand square meters.

Rai said, “Through a special campaign, the sources of air pollution in all the 13 hotspots will be detected on the basis of real-time apportionment study on a daily basis. The designated officers in those locations will be notified of the primary sources of pollution in their vicinity. This information will be disseminated to facilitate prompt remedial measures.”

The Delhi Environment Minister said 70 Integrated Mechanical Road Sweeping (MRS) machines and 250 Integrated Water Sprinkler machines will be procured soon to prevent road pollution.

“For this, a review meeting was held with all the departments concerned at the Delhi Secretariat today. Officers of the Environment Department, DPCC, Delhi Jal Board, PWD etc were present during the meeting,” he said.

Rai said, “This anti-dust campaign will provide relief to the people of Delhi to a great extent from the pollution caused during the summer season. Moreover, it will play a crucial part in enhancing the environment and curbing pollution in Delhi.”