NEW DELHI: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Friday directed Delhi and neighbouring states to establish a web portal for monitoring dust mitigation measures being adopted by agencies while carrying out Construction and Demolition (C&D) projects.
With winter approaching and air quality likely to dip, the directions were issued to curb air pollution. Road dust is one of the major contributors to air pollution in the national capital.
As per the order, all projects being carried out in the NCR on plot area larger than 500 square metres will have to “mandatorily” register on the web portal.
The Commission has asked the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to set up a robust online monitoring mechanism to check dust emissions from C&D sites.
Every year during winter, air pollution touches hazardous levels, owing to a combination of adverse meteorological factors and local emission sources such as dust, waste burning, vehicular fumes and smoke from stubble burning in neighbouring states of Haryana and Punjab.
The CAQM has asked the Central Pollution Control Board, the respective state pollution control boards and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee for strict monitoring to ensure compliance to rules by the agencies, public or private, on a regular basis.
“The establishment of a web portal to facilitate project proponents for self-audit is a must. The portal must be equipped with live dashboard for easy monitoring. There should also be a provision for video fencing with remote connectivity incorporated within the portal,” the order stated.
It further said that project proponents are required to install reliable and low-cost PM 2.5 and PM 10 sensors at the project sites. Dust control measures include covering of construction material and debris, use of water sprinklers and anti-smog guns to not allow dust emissions.
In a recent crackdown on C&D violations, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee inspected 47 sites and identified 23 projects where the measures were not being complied with.
UP’s first air pollution tower in Noida
Uttar Pradesh’s first air pollution control tower is set to come up along the DND Expressway in Noida within two months, said officials.
The tower will be a pilot project which would be installed by the Noida Authority in collaboration with the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, they said.