Hotspots, anti-smog guns: MCD draws up winter plan to mitigate pollution

Focus on hotspots action against open burning of garbage and deployment of anti-smog guns at construction and demolition sites are among the measures planned by the MCD as part of its winter action plan to mitigate pollution, officials said on Thursday.

In a statement, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi also said it has constituted a dust control and management cell (DCMC) as part of the plan.

The civic body has geared up to combat air pollution in upcoming winter season, and working in this direction, a winter action plan 2023-24 has been prepared, it said.

Under this, the MCD has planned various initiatives.

According to the plan, it has been decided that strict vigilance will be ensured to stop open burning of garbage and its dumping. Monitoring will be strengthened to stop use of coal or firewood in hotels and open eateries, it said.

The statement said the MCD has identified 13 pollution hotspots -- Narela, Bawana, Mundka, Wazirpur, Rohini, R K Puram, Okhla, Jahangir Puri, Anand Vihar, Vivek Vihar, Punjabi Bagh, Mayapuri and Dwarka.

The area's deputy commissioner has been appointed as a nodal officer of zone. It has been planned that various actions will be taken by zonal offices which includes, checking of illegal dumping of garbage or plastic waste, construction and demolition (C&D) waste, and penalising violators through challans, officials said.

A list of inventories causing high degree of air pollution have been identified and forwarded to all nodal officers (zonal deputy commissioners) for necessary action and to prepare time-bound short-term and long-term action plans with various stakeholder departments covering all the suggested inventories, it said.

All superintending engineers and Directors (horticulture department) are the members of the DCMC. Regular meetings will be held to monitor and implement measures advisories issued by CAQM or the DPCC to control and abate dust pollution, officials said.

According to the plan, various measures will be ensured to keep in check pollution caused due to C&D waste and road dust. For this purpose, the focus is on optimum utilisation of mechanised road sweeping machines, effective manual road sweeping and utilisation of water sprinklers to suppress the dust particles.

Maintenance of unpaved roads or broken roads or potholes will also be undertaken to combat dust pollution, the statement said.

Special attention will be given on identification and addressing road dust issue in hotspots areas, the MCD added.

Dust particles are big contributors to air pollution. Keeping this in view, anti-smog guns will be deployed at C&D sites. MCD will take action against polluters including for running unauthorised ready-mix plants and keeping C&D sites open. It will also take action against illegal/ unauthorised industries in non-conforming areas, the statement said.

The MCD said it has constituted 383 surveillance teams comprising 932 officers and staff to check open dumping of biomass and open burning of garbage.

It is taking steps to promote zero waste colonies which are doing 100 per cent waste segregation at source and in-house composting. Only dry waste is channelised through authorised waste collection agencies. Horticulture waste generated at parks or open areas will be decomposed at decentralised local composting units, the officials said.

The horticulture department has taken up greening of open areas, gardens, municipal buildings, roads, underneath of flyovers to provide maximum greenery to control road dust through mass tree or shrub plantation, ground covers, climbers, they said.

The MCD will make people aware about the air pollution through mass media and dedicated campaigns. Complaint redressal mechanism like Green Delhi App of Delhi Government, Sameer App (CPCB) and 311 Mobile App (MCD) will be monitored effectively and grievance will be resolved timely, it said.