CAQM reviews 321 roads across Delhi, 35 have high dust intensity

Maximum roads — 182 — were inspected under the MCD, of which 35 stretches reflected high levels of visible dust intensity, 50 were moderate, 70 had low, and 27 stretches recorded no visible dust, as per CAQM’s data.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Saturday inspected 321 roads across Delhi and found 35 to have high dust intensity, prompting immediate directions to civic agencies to scale up on-ground mitigation, officials said on Sunday.

The commission has asked MCD to strengthen its road cleaning and mechanised sweeping measures. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The “Operation Clean Air” was conducted on November 29 to check visible dust accumulation and effectiveness of on-going cleaning and dust suppression measures.

“A total of 321 stretches were inspected across the roads of three agencies. Geo-tagged, time-stamped photographic documentation was collected and submitted to the commission as part of the consolidated inspection report. As per the final compiled data, 35 road stretches exhibited high visible dust levels, 61 showed moderate dust, 94 recorded low dust intensity, and 131 stretches were found to have no visible dust,” CAQM said in a statement.

The squads surveyed stretches under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Central Public Works Department (CPWD), capturing geo-tagged and time-stamped documentation to assess compliance.

NDMC recorded significantly cleaner road conditions, with 133 stretches inspected, of which 100 showed no visible dust, 24 recorded low dust, and nine moderate dust intensity, with no stretch falling in the high dust intensity category.

CPWD, which has a smaller jurisdiction with six roads, also showed comparatively better upkeep with no high dust stretches, two with moderate visible dust, and four with no visible dust intensity.

The commission emphasised that road dust continues to be a major contributor to particulate matter levels in Delhi, especially during the winter season. “The need for consistent mechanical sweeping, timely disposal of collected dust, proper maintenance of pavements, and regular deployment of water-sprinkling or dust suppression measures across all stretches maintained by these agencies..” it added.