Tackling Delhi pollution: Firemen step in to sprinkle water across capital

The fire department, Public Works Department, Delhi Jal Board and East and South Delhi Municipal Corporations have chipped in with water tankers to sprinkle water on Delhi’s roads.

In a first, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) joined the anti-pollution efforts by sprinkling water across the national capital on Thursday. The state government ordered the exercise to check dust pollution on city roads.

Delhi Fire Services personnel sprinkle water on trees to settle the dust as part of pollution-control measures in New Delhi. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

DFS director GC Misra said 50 of their 53 fire stations sent tenders to sprinkle water. The tenders were seen in different parts of the city spraying water on trees and even pavements and streets to settle the road dust.

Not just the fire department, other civic agencies such as Public Works Department, Delhi Jal Board and East and South Delhi Municipal Corporations chipped in with their water tankers to sprinkle water on Delhi roads, said Delhi environment secretary Keshav Chandra.

Areas with very bad air quality like Anand Vihar, RK Puram, Punjabi Bagh, Mathura Road and North Campus were chosen first for the operation that started at 12.30pm and ended three hours later.

Even though there is hardly any wind to blow away the dry soil, experts said that they could be added to the air when a vehicle passes over them. This is vehicle induced re-suspension of road dust.

Misra conceded that the effect was limited but said even if pollution levels came down marginally because of the sprinkling, they were happy to contribute. He further said that the exercise is going to continue for a few more days.

“Our expertise is firefighting but in this case, since we have water resources and equipments, we are trying to make use of them to make even a little difference,” said Misra.

Asked if the use of gallons of water in a massive pan-city exercise would deplete the water stocks affecting their primary job of fire fighting, Misra said adequate water was in their reserves plus the Delhi Jal Board was also on board.