Project to control air pollution from dispersed sources to be implemented in Delhi

The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) with the support of an NGO, Air Pollution Action Group (A-PAG), had initiated a pilot project with the active help of South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) in its jurisdiction in December 2020 to abate air pollution from a large number of non-point dispersed sources.

The progress of the Pilot Project by SDMC was reviewed by CAQM in September this year and based on the learning and outcome of the project, NDMC, North DMC and East DMC have expressed their interest in replicating the project in their respective jurisdictions, an official release said.

"Based on the learning from the pilot, the project is now being upscaled and replicated in North DMC, East DMC and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) areas to control dispersed sources air pollution in the coming winter season. The project envisages easy identification, allocation and resolution of air pollution-related issues arising out of large number of non-point dispersed sources," it said.

The release said it has been decided that the project will go live in North DMC, East DMC and NDMC from October 27 with improved inter-agency coordination among Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), nodal officers and support from other agencies concerned.

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has also been formulated for this purpose.

The release said that supported by a robust review and monitoring programme, the pilot project was successful in identifying about 17,290 issues in 104 wards of South DMC, out of which 10,900 (63 per cent) of the issues pertain to the SDMC and the rest 6,400 (37 per cent) issues have been assigned to other agencies.

"Under this pilot project, SDMC has successfully resolved 95 per cent of the issues pertaining to its own jurisdiction," the release said. (ANI)