Install modified anti-smog guns atop 125 high-rise buildings to control dust pollution: Delhi LG to officials

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena directed officials on Wednesday to install modified anti-smog guns atop 125 building across the city to control dust pollution.At a meeting with officials from the central and state departments concerned, Saxena called for a strict enforcement of measures, time-bound completion of related projects and real-time monitoring of the situation to mitigate the recurrent air pollution problem.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena directed officials on Wednesday to install modified anti-smog guns atop 125 building across the city to control dust pollution.

At a meeting with officials from the central and state departments concerned, Saxena called for a strict enforcement of measures, time-bound completion of related projects and real-time monitoring of the situation to mitigate the recurrent air pollution problem. The LG directed the officials to ensure that modified anti-smog guns are installed atop 125 high-rise buildings by October-end to control dust pollution.

Ahead of the quarter that witnesses the air quality plummeting to the lowest in Delhi-NCR, the meeting was significant in terms of implementation of the Commission for Air Quality Management's (CAQM) policy and the related, revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), 2022 that will come into effect from October 1.

Saxena asked the officials to identify all such private and public sites in the city following which the CAQM will issue an order for mandatory installation of anti-smog guns.

He also directed the municipal corporation department to deploy special teams to ensure that all construction and demolition sites larger than 500 square metre register on the self-assessment portal of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and conduct a self-audit of the steps taken to curb dust pollution.

Officials informed the LG that only 28 per cent of the registered construction and demolition sites have complied with the requirement of self-audit.

Saxena asked for a public awareness campaign detailing the parameters of the self-audit and requirements of registration to be launched by the MCD, with a deadline of October 15 for such compliance.

He also asked the agencies concerned to immediately start repairing, covering and carpeting roads, pavements, footpaths and central verges.

Dust from roads and construction and demolition activities account for 26 per cent of the PM2.5 pollution in Delhi.

Those present at the meeting included CAQM chairperson MM Kutty and the heads of departments and agencies such as environment and forest, the DPCC, the DDA, the MCD, the PWD, transport, traffic police, the CPWD, the NDMC and the DCB.

The LG expressed concern over the fact that dust and transport emission account for 26 per cent and 41 per cent of Delhi's pollution respectively.

He was informed that anti-smog guns, which sprinkle water over a much larger area from atop high buildings, will be installed on 30 buildings by the PWD (three), the NDMC (seven), the MCD (15) and the DDA (five).

The LG asked for at least 125 such building sites to be identified across the capital. Asking officers to enhance and augment the work under the ongoing ''one road per zone every week'' programme, Saxena directed that all such projects be completed by October 15 and a list of all roads be provided to the DPCC for a physical verification and submission of a report within a week.

Another review meeting will be held towards the end of October.

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