By Gargi Shukla and Aaditya Khatwani
Dust pollution control norms as well as the regulations related to disposal of construction and demolition waste are being openly flouted across the city, leaving surrounding areas covered in clouds of dust, an HT spot check has found.
Under its winter action plan, the Delhi government has mandated strict enforcement of 12-point dust-control norms, including green net scaffolding of project sites, covering of construction material, regular sprinkling of water on unpaved areas, as well as presence of functional anti-smog guns at larger sites. Additionally, all larger construction projects require registration and there has been a large-scale deployment of water sprinklers across the city.
The rules also say that vehicles carrying construction material and construction debris should be fully covered, and construction material should not be kept on roads or pavements.
However, despite repeated directions issued by Delhi government and a reduction in the number of self-compliance measures construction firms must follow earlier this year, an HT spot check in areas from east to west and north to south, including Sarojini Nagar, Ashram, Ghanta Ghar, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi, Preet Vihar, Laxmi Nagar, Trilokpuri, and Geeta Colony, found that the rules were being blatantly disregarded.
Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) has officially ranged between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ since Diwali. According to the Central Pollution Control Board bulletins, particulate matter (PM)10 and PM2.5 are the lead pollutants.
{{/usCountry}}Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) has officially ranged between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ since Diwali. According to the Central Pollution Control Board bulletins, particulate matter (PM)10 and PM2.5 are the lead pollutants.
{{/usCountry}}On Wednesday, there was a marginal improvement to an increase in wind speed, with the CPCB data showing the 24-hour average AQI was 202 (poor) at 4pm, which further improved to at 197 (moderate) by 7pm.
However, an HT analysis of CPCB data shows missing data, suspicious measurement patterns, and algorithmic loopholes in how the city’s average AQI is calculated, which appear to have combined to produce readings that may not accurately reflect ground conditions.
Moreover, forecasts by the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) said the air quality is expected to go back to ‘very poor’ on Thursday. The dust in Delhi’s air has the potential to cause several health conditions as the respirable size of dust particles can get lodged in lungs, leading to both short and long term implications.
Violations aplenty
In Sarojini Nagar market, one of the popular commercial hubs in south Delhi, which is surrounded by construction sites on all sides, layers of dust covered furniture and display items; the leaves of trees were blanketed greyish-brown and a constant haze lay over the market’s avenues.
Dust particles were suspended in the air around the construction sites, which employ around 1,200 workers. An anti-smog gun that HT spotted hadn’t been used for days, workers said.
“The water sprinkler trucks take several rounds here throughout the day, but the relief is momentary,” said a 52-year-old female construction worker. She said she has had a cough and cold since she began working at the site three months ago. “We feel full of dust both outside and inside.”
According to Ashok Randhawa, who heads Sarojini Nagar mini market association, the one-time nominal water sprinkling in the morning has failed to tackle the problem. “Scindia Road, Brigadier Hoshiyar Singh Marg and Vinayak Mandir Marg are completely covered in dust. After every couple of hours we need to dust the display items, which get covered in fine soot like particles. We cover our faces with handkerchiefs to reduce the amount of dust being inhaled everyday.”
The NBCC denied the allegations, saying that the Sarojini Nagar Redevelopment Project adheres to all the guidelines issued by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).
“Comprehensive anti-pollution measures are implemented at the site on a regular basis. The claim that the anti-smog gun has not been operational in recent days is incorrect. The equipment is functional and operated multiple times daily, as per established site protocols,” it said.
Similar concerns were raised by shop owners around a construction site beneath central Delhi’s Ghanta Ghar Chowk, next to the Roshanara Bagh, where a metro line is being built. The construction site’s wind-breaker barriers were only around 6 feet in length, allowing dust to easily pass over them. DPCC construction norms say wind-breakers must not be less than 1/3rd of the height of the structure of the building. There is no rule for height of barriers near metro construction.
During HT’s spot check in the evening, the area was dusty and some passersby were either wearing masks or using their arms to cover their faces. Deepak, 42, who runs a shop in front of the construction, said, “The work has been going on since 2021, and is a huge problem for us. It is difficult even to breathe. We keep a whole box of face masks with us in the shop, and go through three or four a day.”
Pointing to a cement roller visible at the site, he said the barriers were infective with the machine being taller and the dust dispersing into the air. “Everyone from the area who comes to the shop has a severe cough. I have also never seen the agencies sprinkle water anywhere near or on the site, as they are supposed to do. We have put in many complaints since the work started in 2021, but nothing has been done,” he added.
Open dumping of C&D waste
Across central Delhi, HT found that all measures were being violated at various places. While mounds of dirtlined KN Katju Marg, at multiple places, footpaths were hidden under uncovered construction materials. At Laxmi Nagar, trucks deployed by government agencies were carrying sand without protective cover. At Ashram Chowk, one of the busiest intersections in the city, a road had been dug up with mounds of its dirt lying around it.
HT also found open dumping of the demolition waste on arterial roads in east Delhi’s Vikas Marg, Preet Vihar, and Trilokpuri, near Sanjay Lake metro station. The construction and demolition (C&D) waste stretched across half the road near Geeta Colony on Main Pushta Road. A Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) worker on the site said that they usually remove the debris, but private builders frequently dump more during the night.
Matters are made worse by the heavy traffic in the area, with the vehicles stirring up the dust.
“The construction here is a huge problem, because a lot of dust is produced due to it. Due to the traffic, you sometimes have to stay in the area. The prolonged exposure makes my eyes burn a lot, and gives me a bad cough,” said Gaurav Kumar, 30, who runs a shop near the chowk.
In North Delhi’s Paschim Vihar, the mandatory green nets were absent, and other measures, including covering construction material and installing an anti-smog gun, were flouted.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) denied the allegations and said all construction material is kept covered, and that measures such as water sprinkling and anti-smog gun operations are carried out.
“Paschim Vihar station is a part of Line 8 Extension, where erection of precast elements have been completed and no such activities generating dust are being done at site. However preventive controller measures are being taken in the GRAP period,” said a DMRC official.
Dipanker Saha, former head of Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) air laboratory, said that “C&D waste management is becoming increasingly crucial due to rapid population growth, urbanisation, and infrastructure development. While measures are in place, stricter compliance of all norms, more vigilant understanding of zone-wise influence, use of prefabricated slabs and use of VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) free paints, is a must for further control of dust emission.”
He added that during winter months, domestic C&D activities contribute to around 40% to Delhi’s overall Air pollution. “Even if the construction area is small, their zone of influence is likely to be large, especially on health,” he said.
Civic agencies say that they are taking measures to prevent an increase in air pollution. On Tuesday, MCD, in a statement, said that it has stepped up in this regard, including regularly monitoring registered construction sites, and setting up 106 sites for safe C&D waste dumping.