HT spot check across national capital finds violations of govt’s winter action plan.
Dust pollution control norms as well as the regulations related to disposal of construction and demolition waste are being openly flouted across the city, leaving surrounding areas covered in clouds of dust, an HT spot check has found.
Under its winter action plan, the Delhi government has mandated strict enforcement of 12-point dust-control norms, including green net scaffolding of project sites, covering of construction material, regular sprinkling of water on unpaved areas, as well as presence of functional anti-smog guns at larger sites. Additionally, all larger construction projects require registration and there has been a large-scale deployment of water sprinklers across the city.
The rules also say that vehicles carrying construction material and construction debris should be fully covered, and construction material should not be kept on roads or pavements.
However, despite repeated directions issued by Delhi government and a reduction in the number of self-compliance measures construction firms must follow earlier this year, an HT spot check in areas from east to west and north to south, including Sarojini Nagar, Ashram, Ghanta Ghar, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi, Preet Vihar, Laxmi Nagar, Trilokpuri, and Geeta Colony, found that the rules were being blatantly disregarded.
Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) has officially ranged between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ since Diwali. According to the Central Pollution Control Board bulletins, particulate matter (PM)10 and PM2.5 are the lead pollutants.
On Wednesday, there was a marginal improvement to an increase in wind speed, with the CPCB data showing the 24-hour average AQI was 202 (poor) at 4pm, which further improved to at 197 (moderate) by 7pm.
However, an HT analysis of CPCB data shows missing data, suspicious measurement patterns, and algorithmic loopholes in how the city’s average AQI is calculated, which appear to have combined to produce readings that may not accurately reflect ground conditions.
Moreover, forecasts by the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) said the air quality is expected to go back to ‘very poor’ on Thursday. The dust in Delhi’s air has the potential to cause several health conditions as the respirable size of dust particles can get lodged in lungs, leading to both short and long term implications.
Violations aplenty
In Sarojini Nagar market, one of the popular commercial hubs in south Delhi, which is surrounded by construction sites on all sides, layers of dust covered furniture and display items; the leaves of trees were blanketed greyish-brown and a constant haze lay over the market’s avenues.
Dust particles were suspended in the air around the construction sites, which employ around 1,200 workers. An anti-smog gun that HT spotted hadn’t been used for days, workers said.
“The water sprinkler trucks take several rounds here throughout the day, but the relief is momentary,” said a 52-year-old female construction worker. She said she has had a cough and cold since she began working at the site three months ago. “We feel full of dust both outside and inside.”
According to Ashok Randhawa, who heads Sarojini Nagar mini market association, the one-time nominal water sprinkling in the morning has failed to tackle the problem. “Scindia Road, Brigadier Hoshiyar Singh Marg and Vinayak Mandir Marg are completely covered in dust. After every couple of hours we need to dust the display items, which get covered in fine soot like particles. We cover our faces with handkerchiefs to reduce the amount of dust being inhaled everyday.”
The NBCC denied the allegations, saying that the Sarojini Nagar Redevelopment Project adheres to all the guidelines issued by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).
“Comprehensive anti-pollution measures are implemented at the site on a regular basis. The claim that the anti-smog gun has not been operational in recent days is incorrect. The equipment is functional and operated multiple times daily, as per established site protocols,” it said.
Similar concerns were raised by shop owners around a construction site beneath central Delhi’s Ghanta Ghar Chowk, next to the Roshanara Bagh, where a metro line is being built. The construction site’s wind-breaker barriers were only around 6 feet in length, allowing dust to easily pass over them. DPCC construction norms say wind-breakers must not be less than 1/3rd of the height of the structure of the building. There is no rule for height of barriers near metro construction.
During HT’s spot check in the evening, the area was dusty and some passersby were either wearing masks or using their arms to cover their faces. Deepak, 42, who runs a shop in front of the construction, said, “The work has been going on since 2021, and is a huge problem for us. It is difficult even to breathe. We keep a whole box of face masks with us in the shop, and go through three or four a day.”