Delhi plans year-round air pollution awareness drives, ‘walkshops’ at dust hotspots

New Delhi: As part of Delhi’s 2026 Information, Education and Communication (IEC) plan for tackling air pollution, civic agencies plan to conduct a series of awareness drives, workshops and outdoor engagement activities throughout the year

New Delhi: As part of Delhi’s 2026 Information, Education and Communication (IEC) plan for tackling air pollution, civic agencies plan to conduct a series of awareness drives, workshops and outdoor engagement activities throughout the year.

Activities will be undertaken by urban local bodies and aim to engage residents, resident welfare associations (RWAs), schools, colleges and other educational institutions. (HT Archive)

According to the Delhi government’s plan submitted to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), 50 awareness drives and workshops will be organised, with 10 activities planned each during January-March, April–June in 2027, and July-September, followed by 20 activities in October–December this year.

These activities will be undertaken by urban local bodies and aim to engage residents, resident welfare associations (RWAs), schools, colleges and other educational institutions.

The plan also proposes outdoor activities to highlight problems associated with unpaved and dust-prone roads. These include “Walkshops” or workshops along roads and street redevelopment-related activities to sensitise citizens about road and street conditions.

The IEC framework issued by CAQM in March had advised the NCR states and Delhi government to prepare detailed state-level plans and designate a nodal department or agency for coordinating the activities.

It said IEC interventions could be carried out through print, electronic and digital media, social media, community programmes and engagement with stakeholder groups.

“The broader CAQM framework has called for sustained, sector-specific engagement rather than limiting awareness campaigns to the winter pollution season. The Commission reiterated this approach during its May review, stating that the framework envisages sustained engagement with sector-specific stakeholders and intensified IEC campaigns throughout the year. We have built upon these directions,” said an official.

Dust mitigation is among the areas emphasised in Delhi’s pollution-control efforts.

CAQM member secretary Tarun Kumar Pithode said the campaign should involve “periodic repetition, continuous monitoring and regular maintenance”, while also calling for stronger inter-agency coordination.