New Delhi, Jan 14 (UNI) Continuing its anti- pollution actions, with ongoing monitoring and enforcement of measures under its Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which is currently into effect (stage- II) in the Delhi and NCR, Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR (CAQM) held inspections in Haryana’s Faridabad to assess the road dust mitigation measures.
The sub-committee also reviewed upkeep of road stretches maintained by the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) as part of its drive under the ‘Operation Clean Air.’
The CAQM findings during the inspection pointed that while a substantial number of road stretches exhibited low or no visible dust, several stretches required focused attention.
Seventeen road stretches were found with high visible dust levels in Faridabad, while 25 stretches had moderate dust intensity, and 66 road stretches registered low dust levels, CAQM said.
There were 19 stretches of roads in the city with no visible dust, the sub committee added.
The cause behind the high dust were found to be the accumulation of Municipal Solid Waste, and Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste, in many of the cases, particularly along key corridors, junctions and service roads.
Instances of open burning were also observed at isolated locations, officials said.
The Commission has emphasized the need for immediate and sustained corrective actions at the flagged pollution hotspots, that include increased mechanical sweeping, regular water sprinkling, prompt lifting and scientific disposal of MSW and C&D waste, and strict enforcement to prevent waste dumping and open burning.
The civic body has been advised to strengthen its monitoring mechanisms and ensure uniform implementation of dust suppression measures across all roads.
CAQM had deployed nine teams comprising officers from the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), for the inspection.
These teams inspected 127 road stretches under the jurisdiction of MCF and also provided geo-tagged and time-stamped photo evidence collected during the inspections, as part of the consolidated inspection report.
