Municipal Corporation of Delhi ( MCD) has announced a Rs 523 crore worth detailed plan to curb dust pollution on dumping sites, roads and construction and demolition (C&D) waste points in the national capital.
The anti-pollution plan, amounting to Rs 523 crore, includes the procurement of 60 mechanical road sweepers for stretches 40-60 feet in width.
The proposed plan has been cleared by the MCD commissioner, and further awaits Delhi government's approval for the budget sanction, officials told TOI.
According to the civic body, the plan announcement comes after it held a meeting with Delhi govt's environment department on September 17. During the key meet, MCD was asked to reduce dust emissions, streamline operations at C&D primary waste collection centres and procure sweepers for 40-60ft roads.
Under the Rs 523 crore plan, MCD will request the government for Rs 7.1 crore to upgrade the existing C&D waste sites with facilities such as metal barricades, display boards, water sprinklers, CCTV cameras and air quality sensors.
Further, the civic body will need Rs 516.3 crore to buy 60 road sweepers and for their 10-year maintenance under an outsourcing model.
"We also demanded Rs 8.7 crore for deploying 60 vacuum-based, battery-operated litter-picker machines for a year, but this was not approved by the commissioner," the official said.
Right now, MCD uses 52 road sweepers for roads above 60ft, with staff deployed in shifts to monitor their operations. Their routes of staff are tracked online. MCD has sought 18 additional machines for these road stretches.
Of the present 52 machines, GPS systems are installed on 24 road sweepers as IT department monitors them during working hours. The remaining 28 are supervised by engineers. Out of the 52 machines, the highest deployment is in the central and south zones, with seven machines each.
An official acknowledged difficulties in deploying sweepers on 30–60 ft roads because of traffic congestion and parked vehicles, noting that the environment department is better suited to evaluate their real impact on air quality. "It is often observed that operating road sweepers even around the air quality monitoring stations does not significantly improve readings during winter," the official told TOI.
To mitigate dust pollution during winter, MCD will form teams to oversee various steps, such as water sprinkling, checking open burning, illegal dumping and insanitary conditions.
"A meeting on dust mitigation steps to be followed by various departments this year is expected on Oct 9. However, from our side, we have made a draft of steps to be taken," a civic official told TOI. Earlier, officials said they had planned to engage 180 water sprinklers on roads.
Out of these 180 water sprinklers, 140 are working actively across different sites. To cover a wider area, the authority has taken a decision to upgrade 40 water tankers and use them for the purpose.
Earlier this year, MCD had formed sanitation squads in each of its 12 zones, under which it deployed 12 specialised vehicles equipped with dashboards and GPS in each zone to ensure efficient waste management.
These special vehicles have four to five staff members and officials who conduct surprise inspections in various areas to oversee the cleanliness arrangements.
"If necessary, they fine people and establishments for littering. They also monitor the private agency personnel and vehicles assigned for garbage collection by MCD and recommend action, if needed," an official had said in April.
(with inputs from TOI)
The anti-pollution plan, amounting to Rs 523 crore, includes the procurement of 60 mechanical road sweepers for stretches 40-60 feet in width.
The proposed plan has been cleared by the MCD commissioner, and further awaits Delhi government's approval for the budget sanction, officials told TOI.
According to the civic body, the plan announcement comes after it held a meeting with Delhi govt's environment department on September 17. During the key meet, MCD was asked to reduce dust emissions, streamline operations at C&D primary waste collection centres and procure sweepers for 40-60ft roads.
Under the Rs 523 crore plan, MCD will request the government for Rs 7.1 crore to upgrade the existing C&D waste sites with facilities such as metal barricades, display boards, water sprinklers, CCTV cameras and air quality sensors.
Further, the civic body will need Rs 516.3 crore to buy 60 road sweepers and for their 10-year maintenance under an outsourcing model.
"We also demanded Rs 8.7 crore for deploying 60 vacuum-based, battery-operated litter-picker machines for a year, but this was not approved by the commissioner," the official said.
Right now, MCD uses 52 road sweepers for roads above 60ft, with staff deployed in shifts to monitor their operations. Their routes of staff are tracked online. MCD has sought 18 additional machines for these road stretches.
Of the present 52 machines, GPS systems are installed on 24 road sweepers as IT department monitors them during working hours. The remaining 28 are supervised by engineers. Out of the 52 machines, the highest deployment is in the central and south zones, with seven machines each.
An official acknowledged difficulties in deploying sweepers on 30–60 ft roads because of traffic congestion and parked vehicles, noting that the environment department is better suited to evaluate their real impact on air quality. "It is often observed that operating road sweepers even around the air quality monitoring stations does not significantly improve readings during winter," the official told TOI.
To mitigate dust pollution during winter, MCD will form teams to oversee various steps, such as water sprinkling, checking open burning, illegal dumping and insanitary conditions.
"A meeting on dust mitigation steps to be followed by various departments this year is expected on Oct 9. However, from our side, we have made a draft of steps to be taken," a civic official told TOI. Earlier, officials said they had planned to engage 180 water sprinklers on roads.
Out of these 180 water sprinklers, 140 are working actively across different sites. To cover a wider area, the authority has taken a decision to upgrade 40 water tankers and use them for the purpose.
Earlier this year, MCD had formed sanitation squads in each of its 12 zones, under which it deployed 12 specialised vehicles equipped with dashboards and GPS in each zone to ensure efficient waste management.
These special vehicles have four to five staff members and officials who conduct surprise inspections in various areas to oversee the cleanliness arrangements.
"If necessary, they fine people and establishments for littering. They also monitor the private agency personnel and vehicles assigned for garbage collection by MCD and recommend action, if needed," an official had said in April.
(with inputs from TOI)
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