Upgrade 'Green War Room' To Monitor Air Pollution: Delhi Environment Minister To DPCC

At a meeting with DPCC officials, the minister directed them to ensure that all construction and demolition projects larger than 500 square metres are registered on the construction and demolition (C&D) portal and that a special drive be launched to accomplish this, an official statement said.

The portal was launched in October last year in a bid to control dust pollution in the capital. The project proponents have to self-audit their compliance with dust control norms and upload a self-declaration on the portal on a fortnightly basis.

The portal also facilitates officials to conduct site inspections, submit reports online and levy and collect fines. DPCC officers have also been directed to conduct inspections in industrial areas and take strict action against polluting industries.?

Rai asked the DPCC to prioritise the work on the real-time source apportionment project and assessment report of the smog tower at Cannaught place.???

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had inaugurated the 24-metre smog tower as a pilot project in August last year which, officials say, can purify air in a one-km radius around the structure at a rate of around 1,000 cubic metres per second.

The CM had said the construction of more smog towers in the capital would depend on the success of the pilot project. A 16-member team of experts from Delhi Pollution Control Committee, IIT-Bombay, NBCC and Tata Projects was constituted to study the impact of the air purifier.

The "real-time source apportionment" project will help identify the factors responsible for the spike in air pollution at any particular spot in Delhi in real time.

The sources could be vehicles, dust, thermal power plants, biomass burning, stubble burning, and emissions from industries. There could be one or more sources of pollution at a particular place. After identifying them, immediate action can be taken to curb pollution.?

(With PTI Inputs)