Gurugram gears up for winter pollution, expands air monitoring and dust control

MCG says 404.61 km of roads is suited for mechanical sweeping, while 24 machines currently operate with GPS-based route monitoring

Gurugram has stepped up preparations to control air pollution ahead of the winter pollution season, with the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) reviewing measures related to air-quality monitoring, road dust control, mechanical sweeping, construction and demolition (C&D) waste management, traffic management and real-time pollution monitoring.

Five new monitoring locations have been identified, while MCG plans to increase the city’s air-quality stations to eight by December 2026 (HT Archive)

MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya chaired a review meeting at the civic body’s office on Tuesday and directed departments and agencies to expedite work against targets fixed for 2026. He also stressed ensuring the availability of necessary resources before the upcoming Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) period.

MCG officials said the number of air-quality monitoring stations in the city will be increased from three to eight by December 2026. Five additional locations have been identified to bridge monitoring gaps and strengthen air-quality monitoring across different parts of the city.

Officials said 404.61 km of roads has been identified as suitable for mechanical sweeping. The MCG currently has 24 mechanical sweeping machines, with provision for more than 600 km of four-lane road coverage daily. Officials said the machines primarily operate between 9pm and 7am and are equipped with GPS-based route monitoring. Field officials maintain daily performance logs and conduct manual verification, they added.

On C&D waste management, officials said Gurugram has a processing capacity of 1,500 tonnes per day and 12 secondary collection points have been developed and made live on the MCG’s C&D waste portal. Between January 1 and August 31, 2026, 3,38,071 tonnes of C&D waste was off-taken, officials said. They added that arrangements for installing web cameras to monitor C&D waste management were also discussed in accordance with directions of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).

Officials said 611 km of MCG’s 2,091 km road network has been identified for redevelopment, while 1,480 km is in good condition. The MCG’s 2026 redevelopment target is 396 km. Administrative approval has been granted for 376.72 km, tenders issued for 371.2 km and work orders awarded for 335.24 km, officials said. They added that 179.04 km has been redeveloped and 162 km has met CAQM quality standards.

Officials said 31 short-term traffic congestion hotspots were identified for 2026, with work completed at four locations and underway at the remaining sites. Under ITMS, officials said 1,200 cameras at 218 locations are live, while work is underway on 2,722 cameras at 258 locations under the second phase.

Dahiya said road dust management, sweeping, water sprinkling, anti-smog measures, dust-free roads and scientific management of C&D waste were being prioritised to control air pollution in Gurugram.