Road dust emerges as major pollutant in Delhi; 35 high-dust spots located

Road dust remains a major driver of particulate pollution in the capital, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said on Sunday after its flying squads inspected 321 road stretches across Delhi under Operation Clean Air.

The inspections, carried out on Saturday, were meant to check how much dust had settled on the roads and whether cleaning, sweeping and dust-suppression measures by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), and Central Public Works Department (CPWD) were working on the ground.

Out of the 321 stretches checked, 35 showed high levels of visible dust, 61 had moderate dust, 94 recorded low dust and 131 had no visible dust.

 

CAQM in a statement said the results highlight once again that road dust remains a major contributor to Delhi's particulate matter, especially in winter, and that regular mechanical sweeping, timely removal of collected dust, pavement upkeep, and water-sprinkling are essential.

MCD had the largest number of roads under inspection (182 stretches) and all 35 high-dust spots were found in its jurisdiction.

Fifty stretches showed moderate dust, 70 low dust, and 27 had no dust.

The commission said this shows MCD needs to step up road-cleaning, especially on stretches where dust keeps returning.

In comparison, NDMC fared better. Of the 133 stretches checked, 100 had no visible dust, 24 showed low dust and nine moderate dust. None of the NDMC roads fell in the high-dust category.

CPWD, which has a much smaller network, also reported no high-dust stretches. Of the six roads inspected, two had moderate dust and four had no visible dust.

CAQM said the inspection drive, supported by geo-tagged and time-stamped photos, is part of its efforts under the statutory framework and the Graded Response Action Plan.

The commission has asked all agencies, particularly MCD, to strengthen cleaning, improve mechanical sweeping schedules and follow dust-control norms and its directions more strictly.