DPCC sends SMS alerts on steps to be taken on bad air days

The drive aims at keeping public aware of current pollution levels and will continue till January 15

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has begun issuing broadcast SMS messages to Delhiites on what steps they can take around the prevailing air quality levels, officials aware of the matter said on Sunday.

Smog covers Kalindi Kunj in New Delhi on Sunday. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

The steps listed under the “Citizens’ Charter” under the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) include avoiding use of private vehicles and vehicle idling, promoting carpooling and staying indoors as much as possible when the air quality is “severe” or higher, they added.

A senior DPCC official said they began issuing such SMS broadcast messages to numbers registered in Delhi from Friday onwards. The drive, aimed at keeping the public aware of the current pollution levels, will continue till January 15.

“Around 10 crore SMS will be issued over the course of this time period, till January 15. The first such message was issued on Friday and they were issued again on Sunday,” said the official, stating that a total of ₹30 lakh will be spent on this exercise.

“Through the SMS broadcast, we can also alert the public about the health impacts and what the current air quality index (AQI) is, particularly when it is fairly high. Based on the AQI, we will list out the precautions that can be taken,” said the second official, adding that the service can also be used to update the public about the current Grap restrictions.

On Sunday, one such broadcast SMS read: “Keep engines of your vehicles properly tuned. Maintain proper tyre pressure in vehicles. Keep pollution under control (PUC) certificate of your vehicles up to date. Do not idle your vehicles and also turn off the engine at red lights. DPCC.”

Experts say such an initiative is important, as it keeps the public well informed. “Even though awareness around air pollution is increasing, such messages can keep the public in the loop. This allows people to do their bit in fighting air pollution,” said Dipankar Saha, former head of Central Pollution Control Board’s air laboratory.