NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is planning to cover construction and demolition (C&D) waste collection points across the capital to prevent the spread of dust and debris, a major contributor to air pollution. The civic body is also preparing to allocate additional budget for improving the management of these sites. At present, there are around 120 designated C&D waste collection points in Delhi.
According to officials, the MCD is working on a comprehensive plan to strengthen their operation and ensure better control of dust emissions.
Speaking to the newspaper, Sandeep Kapoor, Chairman of the MCD’s Department of Environmental Management Services (DEMS), said the corporation is exploring ways to cover these collection points so that dust does not escape into surrounding areas.
He added that water sprinklers will also be installed at these sites to further suppress dust. Kapoor said additional funds are likely to be earmarked in the coming financial year to implement these measures.
“The objective is to ensure that C&D waste is not dumped at unauthorised locations and that designated collection points are strengthened,” he said.
He added that the proposal will be discussed within the DEMS committee. While such infrastructure-related work is generally handled by the engineering department, this initiative will be implemented through DEMS.
The agencies operating Delhi’s four construction and demolition waste processing plants are also responsible for collecting waste from roads and transporting it to the processing facilities.
Currently, Delhi has four C&D waste processing plants, each with a capacity of 5,000 metric tonnes per day. However, the city generates approximately 6,000 to 6,500 metric tonnes of C&D waste daily, resulting in excess load.
Kapoor said that one additional processing plant is already under development to address the shortfall.
On whether the existing 120 collection points are sufficient, Kapoor said the number is adequate for now.