Identify roads in need of repair, says EPCA

New Delhi: The Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) has asked the Delhi-NCR authorities to identify roads that are in a state of disrepair and thus contribute to dust pollution.

As per an IIT Kanpur study, road dust was the biggest source of suspended particulate matter in Delhi. It makes up over 50 per cent of the total particulate matter (PM) 10 particles and 38 per cent of PM 2.5 particles. 

Both these ultrafine particles are the most dominant pollutants in Delhi’s air and are capable of entering into human lung and blood tissues and posing serious health risks. 

The EPCA has asked authorities in Delhi, Noida, and Gurgaon to prepare a list of “high-impact” roads, including NH-24, which need urgent dust-control measures. 

“Although the scale of the initiative appears small when compared to the magnitude of the problem, more roads are under the authority;s scanner and they too will be brought under the ambit later,” EPCA said.

Officials of Delhi’s environment department and the pollution control boards of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh were asked to take necessary steps for identification of such roads by coordinating with the agencies concerned, including the PWD and NHAI. 

The IIT Kanpur report observed the silt load on some Delhi roads is high. Silt becomes airborne with the movement of vehicles, it said, estimating that PM 10 emission from road dust was over 65 tonnes per day in Delhi.

“The control options can be sweeping and watering of roads, better construction and maintenance, growing plants, grass etc to prevent re-suspension of dust,” it had said.

The National Green Tribunal, in its order issued in November last, had said manual cleaning of roads should be stopped as it regenerates pollution in the environment. Following this, the government announced mechanical sweeping, greening and landscaping of major arterial roads but the project has not quite taken off.