Project to check air pollution from dispersed sources implemented across Delhi

Team L&M

The project to control air pollution from dispersed sources, implemented as a Pilot Project in South Delhi last year, will now be implemented in other areas of the Capital. The project envisages easy identification, allocation and resolution of air pollution-related issues arising out of large number of non-point dispersed sources.

The project will now go live in North DMC, East DMC and NDMC from today with improved inter-agency coordination among Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), Nodal Officers and support from other agencies concerned.  Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has also been formulated for this purpose.

The Pilot Project was initiated by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) in association with NGO Air Pollution Action Group (A-PAG) and South Delhi Municipal Corporation in December, 2020 to abate air pollution from large number of non-point dispersed sources. Its progress was reviewed on September 22, 2021.

The Pilot Project was successful in identifying about 17,290 issues in 104 wards of SDMC, out of which 10,900 (63 per cent) of the issues pertain to the SDMC while 6,400 (37 per cent) issues have been assigned to other agencies. The SDMC has successfully resolved 95 per cent of the issues so far.

Among other things, it focused on the following steps:

♦ Sensitisation Exercise to help ground-level officials understand the linkages between their daily tasks and the quality of air

♦ A third party survey to identify issues that contribute to spike in air pollution levels

♦ Allocation of issues identified and further tag them to the agencies concerned

♦ Ground-level reporting of resolution of the issues by the authorities concerned

♦ Enhancement of SmartCity 311 App to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the complaint redressal processand

♦ Review Process to follow through on-ground survey procedure and ensure high standards while resolving the issues.

The major pollution sources addressed under this pilot project are garbage dump sites, overflowing dhalaos, burning of garbage construction & demolition sites, debris dumped on public land, road dust from unpaved roads, barren lands, industrial emissions, vehicular pollution.

Viewing the need for technological advancement as the most crucial step towards transforming the whole complaint redressal process, SDMC with technological support of A-PAG brought enhancements to the SDMC’s 311 Live Dashboard and upgraded it into an advanced ‘SmartCity 311 App’ for efficient and effective monitoring of dispersed sources of air pollution.

With the introduction of this advanced App, issues can be conveniently raised with a single tap. The ‘SmartCity 311 App’ carry a number of enhanced features like a simplified transfer protocol to reassign issues to other agencies, validation check to mark resolution has been introduced, updated reporting formats for easier monitoring, feature to track progress on long term issues and features to ensure officials are present at the issue site while uploading the resolution proof.

Apart from on-ground third party surveys, the SmartCity 311 App will also encourage the citizens to raise complaints and help the municipal bodies in taking necessary steps to redress those.