NEW DELHI: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has taken a series of measures and issued a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) to its field offices in Delhi-NCR to mitigate air pollution caused by road construction and allied activities.
The guidelines outline a systematic approach to address air pollution generated from vehicular emissions, road dust, and construction activities.
The SoP prepared as part of our commitment to create cleaner and healthier surroundings for highway users and nearby communities--is applicable to all completed and under-construction stretches in Delhi-NCR under NHAI’s jurisdiction, said officials.
The comprehensive SoP provides a detailed framework for the deployment of mechanised road sweeping machines, greening of median as well as loop interchanges through regular plantation and implementation of Miyawaki method of plantation for forest creation along the highways, use of tarpaulin sheets to cover construction material during transportation and regular inspections and regular road maintenance to ensure pothole-free roads to reduce additional dust generation.
The Miyawaki method, developed by a Japanese botanist, is a technique for creating dense, native mini-forests in small urban spaces by planting many different native species together closely to accelerate growth.
“The guidelines also cover measures to minimise air pollution caused by construction activities through regular use of anti-smog guns, continuous water sprinkling through the day at construction sites and covering of construction material with green net to prevent airborne particulate pollution,” said officials.
In addition, the SoP also includes regular monitoring of air quality indices at project sites and adherence to guidelines issued by the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) and Central or State Pollution Control Boards. The guidelines also encourage the use of ‘inert materials and Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste’ to reduce environmental impact and support sustainable construction practices.
The guidelines also define responsibilities of NHAI field officers as well as Authority Engineers, Contractors and Concessionaires for monitoring and ensuring strict compliance by undertaking regular audits and inspections.
It also provides directions to organise training and awareness programs for contractors and workers, as well as provide redressal to complaints related to NHAI projects on the ‘Green Delhi App’.
Recently, the Member (Technical), NHAI Alok Deepankar, chaired a meeting held to review the ongoing efforts and ensure effective on-ground implementation of the SoP. The meeting was attended by senior officials from NHAI field offices in Delhi-NCR, along with representatives of contractors and consultants.
Deepankar directed all field officers, contractors, and consultants to undertake immediate and decisive measures for controlling dust and vehicular pollution on a war footing.
“Contractors were also instructed to mobilise adequate manpower, equipment, and resources for dust mitigation. Reaffirming NHAI’s commitment to environmental protection, NHAI Member (Technical) urged all stakeholders to work collectively and expeditiously towards achieving a measurable reduction in construction-related and traffic-induced pollution across national highway projects in Delhi-NCR,” officials added.
