Time-bound action plan key in fighting Delhi pollution: LG

The LG said road dust, vehicular emissions, biomass burning, and industrial pollution are among the major contributors to air pollution in Delhi-NCR.

New Delhi: Lieutenant governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Monday emphasised the need for improved inter-agency coordination and a time-bound roadmap to effectively curb air pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

At a meeting with the chairperson of the Commission for Air Quality Management on Monday, Sandhu also reviewed anti-pollution measures leading up to winter. (HT archive)

At a meeting with the chairperson of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Monday, Sandhu also reviewed anti-pollution measures leading up to winter. He emphasised that air pollution is a regional challenge which requires regional solutions, stressing the need for coordinated action to tackle the same.

The LG said road dust, vehicular emissions, biomass burning, and industrial pollution are among the major contributors to air pollution in Delhi-NCR.

“Beyond smoke and exhaust emissions, road dust remains a critical yet often underestimated source of Delhi’s pollution. Contributing significantly to PM10 and PM2.5 levels, dust particles remain suspended in the atmosphere, deteriorating air quality and posing serious health risks. Effective dust mitigation must form the backbone of Delhi’s clean-air strategy, particularly in the run-up to the winter months, and time-bound interventions aimed at achieving substantially dust-free roads are needed across the Capital.”

The meeting also saw discussion on expanding MSRM coverage, strengthening route monitoring, increasing plantation along road medians, and ensuring the dust-control infrastructure is used efficiently.

Sandhu also stressed on the need to accelerate transition towards electric vehicles, through wider adoption of the same and greater reliance on electric buses. He added that industrial emissions across the NCR need to be monitored, and that sustained efforts are required from surrounding regions in addressing stubble burning.

The meeting included discussion on the need for increased coordination among CAQM, MCD, PWD, DDA, NDMC, I&FCD and other stakeholder agencies to ensure that pollution control measures are implemented in a timely manner, and effectively monitored.