RK Puram, Okhla Phase 2 now Delhi’s least polluted spots

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s (DPCC) report — which ranked 39 localities that have air quality monitors — showed that Okhla Phase 2, Lodhi Road, Pusa, Aya Nagar, RK Puram and Nehru Nagar were among the city’s least polluted areas

RK Puram and Okhla Phase 2, two localities that featured in the list of Delhi’s 13 most polluted spots in 2018, have seen a turnaround in their air quality and are now ranked among the areas with cleanest air in the national capital, according to analysis by the state pollution control body.

The findings of the study show that between November 1 and November 8, RK Puram recorded only one “severe” air quality day, compared to eight in Jahangirpuri and Wazirpur, and five in Alipur. (ANI)

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s (DPCC) report — which ranked 39 localities that have air quality monitors — showed that Okhla Phase 2, Lodhi Road, Pusa, Aya Nagar, RK Puram and Nehru Nagar were among the city’s least polluted areas.

The findings of the study show that between November 1 and November 8, RK Puram recorded only one “severe” air quality day, compared to eight in Jahangirpuri and Wazirpur, and five in Alipur.

Okhla Phase 2, in comparison, saw its air quality index (AQI) breach the “severe” mark on just two of the eight days.

RK Puram, officials said, performed poorly in the 2018 list because of then ongoing construction work involving two major Metro rail corridors: the Pink Line (connecting Majlis Park and Shiv Vihar via Moti Bagh and Bhikaji Cama Place), and the Magenta Line (connecting Janakpuri West and Botanical Garden via RK Puram and Vasant Vihar). Dust from the construction, coupled with high vehicular volume on the Ring Road and the Outer Ring Road, which flank RK Puram, combined to give the area pollution levels among the worst in the city at the time.

“Since RK Puram is a largely residential area, it was easier for us to carry out awareness campaigns and control the pollution levels here. Once the Metro and the new Rao Tula Ram Marg flyover got constructed, a lot of the construction dust and vehicular volume was controlled,” a senior environment department official said.

Okhla Phase 2, meanwhile, has benefited from stringent action against open waste dumping and garbage dumping, said officials.

“Traffic jams also cause high pollution in this area. We are working with the Delhi traffic police to manage the snarls there. This will also help clean up the air in the area,” the official said.