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Panel’s directions to combat air pollution in Delhi: Install low cost PM2.5, PM10 sensors, register construction projects on dust portal

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee has also directed the land owning agencies to abide by the 14-point dust mitigation measures it has laid out.

Delhi Pollution Control Committee set up an Air Quality Monitoring Station inside Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi. (Express Photo: Abhinav Saha)

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee on Thursday issued directions to land-owning agencies, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), to mitigate the contribution of dust to air pollution. It also announced compulsory registration on its dust portal for construction projects on plots equal to or above 500 square metres and required these to carry out self-audits and upload compliance reports on a fortnightly basis.

The DPCC has also directed the land owning agencies to abide by the 14-point dust mitigation measures it has laid out. Some of the measures include control of dust pollution at C&D sites, use of anti-smog guns, water sprinkling, wind reduction by raising barricade, dust barrier sheets around C&D projects, use a covering sheet on easily air-borne construction material, proper covering, disposal of C&D waste, cleaning of vehicles carrying such waste

“This is a no-compromise policy. No project will proceed without demonstrating its commitment to dust mitigation. We are leveraging technology for real-time enforcement, ensuring every construction site is accountable,” said Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa.

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This regulation integrates technological monitoring through 360-degree PTZ video surveillance, and installation of PM2.5 and PM10 sensors at construction sites.

The civic agencies have been made responsible for ensuring strict adherence of the dust mitigation measures by contractors. From now, the three municipalities in the national capital territory of Delhi — MCD, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB) — need to specify the requirement of registration of the construction projects on DPCC’s portal as part of the sanction process. “…the Municipal Authority shall not sanction the building plan, if the construction project is not registered on the DPCC’s dust portal,” the DPCC stated.

The approvals for building layout plans, or sanctions, need to be linked online through an API link with the DPCC portal. The dust-mitigation measures need to be displayed at all construction sites, including the ones which do not need registration at the dust portal. Similarly, the registration id also needs to be publicly displayed at the site; the civic agencies are tasked with providing these boards.

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Delhi air pollution