Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai held a meeting with more than 200 representatives of the government and private construction agencies on Monday to direct them to follow 14-point guidelines to prevent dust pollution.

Strict action will be taken against government and private agencies not following the norms, he said.

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Rai said it is mandatory for all government and private construction agencies to provide on-site training to construction workers regarding the guidelines. The city government is preparing a winter action plan on 15 focus points to tackle pollution in winter, including curbing dust pollution. It will be mandatory for the construction agency to install anti-smog guns on sites having a construction area equal to or more than 5,000 square meters.

In the meeting, the 14-point guidelines to prevent pollution were explained in detail to all government and private construction agencies and instructions were given to implement them.

During the meeting, suggestions were also taken from the representatives of the construction agencies. The Delhi environment minister directed all government and private construction agencies to provide on-site training to construction workers regarding the guidelines.

“Pollution is an issue related to our lives and our children’s lives. Everyone has to fight together to save our breath. Therefore, everyone will have to fulfill their responsibilities with full honesty,” Rai said.

The 14-point guidelines issued to government and private construction agencies are:

Dust/wind breaking walls of appropriate height around the periphery of the construction site;

Installation of Anti Smog Gun(s) (for 5000 sqmt built construction area);

Tarpaulin or green net on scaffolding around the area under construction and the building;

All vehicles, including those carrying construction material and construction debris of any kind, should be cleaned and wheels washed;

All vehicles carrying construction material and construction debris should be fully covered and protected;

All construction debris and construction material of any kind should be stored on the site and not dumped on public roads or pavements;

No loose soil or sand Construction & Demolition Waste or any other construction material that causes dust shall be left uncovered;

No grinding and cutting of building materials in open areas. Wet jets should be used in grinding and stone cutting;

Unpaved surfaces and areas with loose soil should be adequately sprinkled with water to suppress dust;

Roads leading to or at construction sites must be paved and blacktopped i.e. metallic roads (for 20,000 m2 built-up area);

Construction and demolition waste should be recycled on-site or transported to authorized recycling facility and a due record of the same should be maintained;

Every worker working on the construction site and involved in loading, unloading and carriage of construction material and construction debris should be provided with an anti-dust mask to prevent inhalation of dust particles;

Arrangements should be provided for medical help, investigation and treatment to workers involved in the construction of the building and carrying of construction material and debris relatable to dust emission and Dust mitigation measures shall be displayed prominently at the construction site for easy public viewing.