CAQM meet on air pollution in Delhi focuses on dust

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has reviewed the Delhi government's plans to control air pollution this winter. The focus is on controlling pollution from transportation, dust, firecrackers, and identified pollution hotspots. The government plans to add more buses, charging stations, and dust control measures.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Wednesday said it has held a comprehensive review meeting with the Delhi government over its preparation to control air pollution in the city this winter.

CAQM said during the meeting, special emphasis was laid upon controlling pollution from the transport sector, road and construction dust, bursting of firecrackers, and pollution from the identified 13 pollution hot spot areas in Delhi. (PTI)

The meeting, held on Tuesday, consisted of CAQM members and Delhi chief secretary, the New Delhi Municipal Council chairperson, the principal secretary (environment), the Municipal Corporation of Delhi commissioner, the transport commissioner, and other senior officers from the Delhi government.

CAQM said during the meeting, special emphasis was laid upon controlling pollution from the transport sector, road and construction dust, bursting of firecrackers, and pollution from the identified 13 pollution hot spot areas in Delhi.

“...there is a need for strict implementation of PUC (pollution under control) norms, for restrictions on plying of end-of-life vehicles in Delhi and BS 3 petrol and BS4 diesel vehicles during Grap (Graded Response Action Plan). There is also a need to augment charging stations and disseminate information about the location of EV charging infrastructure, further augmentation of public transport services,” CAQM said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the government also needs to ensure uninterrupted power supply to minimise dependence on diesel generator sets.

During the meeting, the Delhi government informed CAQM that currently, it has 7,041 buses, with a plan to augment the public transport by adding 850 more buses by the end of September, and an additional 650 buses by March 2024.

The government also told CAQM that more than 238,000 electric vehicles have been registered in Delhi till September, and the city has 3,100 charging stations, 4,793 charging points and 318 swapping stations. “The target is to set-up 18,000 public and 30,000 private or semi-public charging stations by 2025,” the government told CAQM.

For dust control, the government said it plans to use 83 mechanical road sweeping (MRS) machines, 320 water sprinklers, and 389 anti-smog guns (ASG). The government said it has identified more than 90 high rise buildings for deployment of ASGs, with 47 to be installed on government buildings and 43 on private high-rise buildings.