Delhi: Hawk eye on large construction sites to dust out winter pollution

NEW DELHI: Large construction sites, or those occupying over 20,000 sq metres, will have to be extra careful this winter. Pollution monitoring agencies will specially focus on them to see they follow the norms for controlling dust, whose contribution to the total PM10 pollutants in Delhi touches 31% in winters.

Construction agencies have been given 15 days by environment minister Gopal Rai to adopt the dust guidelines, but the government may also be looking to incorporate suggestions made by a dust management committee into the winter action plan. This could make it mandatory for large construction sites to install live pollution reading sensors to provide real-time data monitored by

Delhi Pollution Control Committee

.

In August first week, the dust management panel comprising experts from IIT Delhi, The

Energy and Resources Institute

and

DPCC

submitted a plan recommending the issue of warning to construction projects if the PM10 and PM2.5 levels at the site were over 25% of the air quality readings at the nearest monitoring station. It suggests that if corrective action is not taken within 24 hours of the first warning issued, the construction site should be shut down, alongside penalties imposed.

A government official said possible penal measures for contravention of the norms will form part of the winter action plan, which will be ready before September 30. “Once the plan is finalised, we will look at other aspects of controlling dust pollution,” said the official.

Tuesday was the last day for agencies to submit suggestions for winter action plan, with the government official revealing that Rai and the environment department will now go through the proposals submitted.

A DPCC official said in addition to the plan, an online portal was also being developed to monitor construction sites. “The aim is to make this portal operational by October. It will help us monitor and act on dust pollution from construction and demolition waste,” the official said.

In a meeting last week, Rai met private construction agencies and asked them to hold review meetings at their construction sites to ensure Delhi government’s 14-point guideline on dust management was followed. He warned them of action if they were found violating the guidelines.