Air quality panel flags lapses in Gurugrams anti-dust measures

The Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) on Saturday said it had found “significant gaps” in measures undertaken in Gurugram to tackle dust pollution.

Following an inspection of 125 road stretches on Friday, the CAQM found ‘high visible dust’ on 34 roads, ‘moderate’ dust on 58 roads, ‘low’ dust on 29 stretches, and no dust on four stretches.

The commission said the results show that the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram needs to improve on-ground efforts.

This includes regular mechanical sweeping, timely removal and proper disposal of dust and waste, frequent water sprinkling, and preventing open burning. “A large number of stretches with high visible dust were also found to have significant accumulation of solid waste and construction and demolition waste, along with multiple instances of open burning, indicating serious deficiencies in routine road maintenance, waste management, and enforcement,” said the Central pollution watchdog.

It also found persistent dust accumulation, open burning of waste and garbage dumping at several stretches, including residential areas, across Gurugram.

Meanwhile, the overall air quality in the national capital neared the ‘severe’ category on Saturday.

No respite in sight

As per the official bulletin, Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was 385 (‘very poor’) at 4 p.m., up from 332 the day before. An AQI of 301-400 is considered ‘very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe’.

“The air quality is likely to stay in the ‘very poor’ category for the next six days,” the bulletin added.