Gopal Rai launches anti-dust campaign in Delhi to combat air pollution

Delhi Environment, Development, and General Administration Minister Gopal Rai on Saturday launched an anti-dust campaign to combat air pollution in Delhi.

The Delhi Minister also informed that the first phase of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) has been implemented in Delhi aimed at curbing dust pollution in the capital.

Talking to ANI, Rai said, "Under this campaign, 591 teams from 13 departments have been deployed for inspection across Delhi. They will start checking campaigns wherever there is dust on the roads so as to stop dust pollution. As part of the "Anti-Dust Campaign," more than 500 water sprinklers have been deployed to combat dust pollution."

The month-long drive to fight dust pollution in Delhi started from October 7 and will continue till November 7 under the winter action plan.

"The government has released 14 action points to all construction agencies, including government and private, to control dust pollution in the city. I have visited Wazirpur, which is a hotspot area, and talked with the officials there to investigate major sources of pollution," Rai added.

Earlier on Friday, the Delhi government issued an official statement that it is mandatory to do self-registration of all construction sites above 500 square meters on the C & D portal while announcing the campaign.

The decision was taken in a meeting presided over by Gopal Rai on Thursday.

"Air pollution in Delhi is improving steadily due to the stringent steps taken by the Delhi government under the leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The government's efforts have resulted in a decline of 30 per cent in air pollution levels in Delhi. Consequently, to address the issue of pollution during the winter months, the Chief Minister unveiled a 15-point winter action plan on 29 September. To bring further improvement in air pollution in Delhi, as a part of the winter action plan, our government is starting the anti-dust campaign in Delhi from 7th October", said Minister Rai.

The Environment Minister also said, "Dust pollution arising from construction sites proves to be very harmful to the health of the people. To address this issue, the Construction and Demolition Portal was introduced. All construction sites that cover an area of 500 square meters or more are required to self-register on this portal. The aim of this campaign is to ensure that all active C & D sites are registered on the portal. DPCC will examine the self-assessment reports of all registered sites on the portal."

Gopal Rai also said that instructions have been issued to the departments to continuously monitor the construction sites. To achieve this, the relevant departments have been instructed to monitor construction sites regularly.

"If construction sites violate any rules, the department will take appropriate action as per the NGT directions", he added.