CAQM inspects PWD, DDA road stretches to assess dust mitigation measures

New Delhi, Dec 25 (PTI) The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) conducted an inspection drive to assess compliance and effectiveness of corrective measures undertaken by road-maintaining agencies, according to officials.

The review was done as part of its continuous monitoring and ongoing enforcement efforts under the statutory framework and provisions of the extant Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

"A total of 15 teams of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) for inspection of 106 road stretches maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD) and 02 teams of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for re-inspection of selected 27 road stretches under the jurisdiction of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) were deployed under the directions of the Commission.

"Geo-tagged and time-stamped photographic documentation was collected and submitted to the Commission as part of the consolidated inspection report," a CAQM official said.

The drive focused on assessment of accumulation of visible road dust and on-ground operations of mechanical road sweeping machines, along with identification of instances of municipal solid waste accumulation, construction and demolition waste accumulation and cases of open burning "During the re-inspection of 27 road stretches maintained by DDA, which were earlier reported with high visible dust levels during inspections conducted earlier this month, it was observed that now none of the stretches fell under the high dust category. Out of these stretches, 7 found with moderate dust levels, 19 recorded low dust intensity and one stretch was found to have no visible dust.

"This indicates a marked improvement in the overall upkeep of these road stretches, reflecting the impact of corrective measures undertaken by the agency following the earlier inspection by CAQM," the official added.

Simultaneously, inspection of 106 road stretches maintained by PWD revealed that 09 stretches exhibited high visible dust levels, 16 showed moderate dust, 37 recorded low dust intensity and 44 stretches were found to have no visible dust.

On certain stretches observed with high dust intensity, accumulation of municipal solid waste and construction and demolition waste, as well as instances of open burning, were also reported, indicating the need for strengthened on-ground enforcement and upkeep by the agency concerned.

"The commission observed that while the re-inspection results of DDA-maintained road stretches indicates improvement and responsiveness to the directions issued earlier, the inspection of PWD-maintained road stretches highlight persisting gaps in effective road maintenance and dust control and require immediate and sustained corrective action.

"The commission emphasized the need for regular mechanical sweeping, timely lifting and disposal of collected dust and waste, maintenance of road stretches and central verges, effective deployment of water sprinkling and dust-suppression mechanisms, and strict prevention of open burning across all stretches," the official said. PTI GJS ZMN