TC Web Desk
Given the enormous number of non-point scattered sources that contribute to air pollution in Delhi, a project to control air pollution from dispersed sources will be conducted throughout the city, with a specific focus on the next winter season
An Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry statement stated on Tuesday that a project to mitigate air pollution from non-point dispersed sources will be undertaken in all three Delhi MCD zones, with a specific focus on the winter season. According to the statement, the project will go live in North DMC, East DMC, and NDMC on October 27 “with improved inter-agency coordination among Delhi Pollution Control Committee, Nodal Officers, and support from other agencies concerned” following a review meeting held by the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) on October 21. For this purpose, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has also been developed.
The project is the result of yet another pilot project conducted by the CAQM in the NCR and adjoining areas in December 2020 with the support of the NGO Air Pollution Action Group (A-PAG) in an area under the jurisdiction of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to reduce air pollution from a large number of non-point dispersed sources. According to the Ministry, the pilot project was successful in identifying approximately 17,290 issues in 104 wards of the South DMC, of which 10,900 (63%) are related to the SDMC and the remaining 6,400 (37%) are assigned to other agencies.
According to the ministry, the SDMC has successfully resolved 95% of the concerns within its jurisdiction as part of this trial project. The project’s main goal was to help ground-level officials understand the connections between their daily tasks and air quality, as well as to identify issues that contribute to spikes in air pollution levels, assign issues to the appropriate agencies, and report ground-level resolution of issues by the appropriate authorities.
“Enhancement of SmartCity 311 App to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the complaint redressal process and review process to follow through on-ground survey procedure and ensure high standards while resolving the issues, were the other main points,” the statement added.
