NEW DELHI: In a major push to tackle air pollution, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has mandated the installation of mist and water sprinklers on electric poles and along central verges at all 13 identified pollution hotspots in the city.
The move aims to control road dust, a major contributor to PM2.5 and PM10 particulate matter in the capital.
Issuing a directive to civic and infrastructure departments, including the PWD, CPWD, DDA, MCD, NDMC, NHAI, and the Irrigation & Flood Control Department, the minister made it compulsory to install micro-mist spray systems along major road stretches and intersections.
“We are shifting from policy to practice. This is about enforcement, not announcements. Every hotspot in Delhi will now see visible and verifiable dust suppression every day,” Sirsa said. He added that mist sprinkler systems piloted by the DDA and NDMC had shown encouraging results and could now be scaled up without requiring new infrastructure, using existing electric poles for installations.
The systems must have nozzles that spray 50–100 micron water droplets at a pressure of 0.45–0.65 MPa. Departments have also been instructed to deploy mechanical sweeping machines with integrated jetting systems on high-traffic and construction-heavy corridors.
This directive is part of the city’s Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), developed with inputs from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and the Commission for Air Quality Management. Compliance will be monitored by designated Pollution Control Officers in each department, responsible for daily supervision and reporting.
The deployment will be supported by mechanised sweeping with integrated jetting systems, particularly along high-traffic roads and urban construction corridors. Departments have been directed to ensure that central verges and intersections in the listed hotspot areas remain dust-free through routine misting operations.
To ensure accountability, the Environment Department will conduct surprise inspections and audits. The minister also stated that real-time data would be used to assess trends and guide further action.