Road dust major pollutant; 35 high-dust spots located

New Delhi: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has released new findings from a major inspection drive conducted on Saturday, under its ongoing “Operation Clean Air” initiative. The drive, carried out by 26 Flying Squads across Delhi, aimed to assess dust accumulation on city roads and evaluate the efficiency of cleaning and dust-suppression measures undertaken by civic agencies.

A total of 321 road stretches maintained by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) were inspected. The teams collected geo-tagged and time-stamped photographs as part of their documentation.

According to the consolidated report, 35 stretches exhibited high visible dust levels, 61 showed moderate dust, 94 recorded low dust, and 131 stretches were found to have no visible dust.

The MCD, responsible for the largest network examined, with 182 stretches, showed the most areas of concern. Inspectors found 35 high-dust stretches and 50 with moderate dust, indicating substantial room for improvement in road-cleaning and mechanical sweeping operations. Seventy stretches showed low dust, while only 27 were dust-free.

In contrast, NDMC demonstrated comparatively better upkeep. Out of 133 inspected roads, 100 had no visible dust, 24 recorded low dust, and nine moderate levels. Notably, none of the NDMC roads fell into the high-dust category.

The CPWD, which oversees a smaller set of six roads, also showed positive results with no high-dust stretches, two roads showing moderate dust and four registering no dust.

Highlighting that road dust remains a significant contributor to Delhi’s particulate pollution during winter, CAQM urged all agencies, particularly the MCD, to intensify sweeping, ensure timely disposal of collected dust and strengthen dust-suppression measures. The Commission stated that similar targeted inspections will continue to ensure compliance and maintain cleaner, dust-free roads across the National Capital Region.