PWD to integrate live monitoring of anti-smog guns to reduce air pollution

New Delhi, Nov 10 (PTI) As the city's air quality continues to deteriorate, the Public Works Department (PWD) has moved to tighten its monitoring of anti-smog operations, officials said on Monday.

Officials have been directed to enhance the live tracking system of around 200 anti-smog guns deployed across the capital to curb pollution.

"Several companies have provided the anti-smog guns, each having different individual live monitoring systems on different mobile applications, which is making it difficult to navigate," a senior government officer told PTI.

Recently, PWD issued an order to hire water-sprinkling anti-smog guns fitted on a truck and sanctioned a budget of Rs 5.88 crore.

Directions have been given to bring all the trucks onto one single live-tracking platform which can be viewed through mobile phones by senior officers, he added.

As the air quality continues in the city to worsen, the government has been strict on anti-dust norms and taking action against violators. To tackle road dust and vehicular pollution, around 90 metric tonnes of road dust had been collected through mechanical road sweeping (MRS) machines, while 1988 kilometres of roads have been cleaned through MRS, the government has said.

According to officials, the PWD has also launched a special drive for deep cleaning and dust control along all its roads, including Right of Way (RoW) areas.

"Two hundred anti-smog guns have been tasked with deep cleaning at least 200 metres of road daily. The activities include removal of dust from road areas, cleaning of kerb channels and bell mouths, debris removal, and coordination with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi," officials said.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, in a high-level meeting, directed that all work be completed within 45 days, warning that strict action will be taken against any officer failing to meet the targets. PTI SSM SSM SKY SKY