Optimize The Use of Mechanical Road Sweepers To Tackle Delhi's Air Pollution: Lt. Governor

Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Friday issued an advisory to the national capital's municipal corporations to optimize the use of mechanical road sweepers for combating air pollution.

According to the Lieutenant Governor’s office, the air pollution issue has multi-dimensional aspects and the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) have a very important role in tackling the menace.

Anil Baijal Delhi Lt Governor stated that one of the major contributors to air pollution in Delhi is Particulate Matter (PM) that is produced through re-suspension of road dust which is caused by the moving traffic, the LG said in a statement.

One of the ways to remove this Particulate Matter (PM) pollution load from Delhi’s environment is through the mechanical sweeping, the lieutenant governor stated.

The statement by Delhi Lt Governor advised all Urban Local Bodies to initiate necessary action as per the available expert advice or the third party audit report and ensure the optimum utilization of Mechanical Road Sweepers (MRS) in Delhi.

 The Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) were also advised to carry out a scientific assessment of the requirement of additional Mechanical Road Sweepers (if any) in their jurisdiction for improving sanitation operations. It added clean roads will lead to clean air in Delhi.

At present, 45 Mechanical Road Sweepers (MRSs) is being operated in Delhi by the three corporations and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). These Mechanical Road Sweepers (MRSs) have been specifically procured to combat rising air pollution in the city.

Air pollution in urban and rural India is a growing public concern and Delhi is one of the most studied cities with a disproportionate share of media attention. Yet, we do not have decisive answers to simple questions like how polluted is the city. But we know what the sources of air pollution in Delhi are.

Critical air pollutants are

• Particulate Matter (PM) – one bin with all PM below 10μm (PM10) and one bin with all PM below 2.5μm (PM2.5)
• Nitrogen oxides (NOx) – nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
• Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
• Carbon monoxide (CO)
• Ozone (O3)

India is home to the world’s 14 most polluted cities, with Delhi it is the sixth worst, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. Toxic air caused 1.24 million deaths in India in 2017 according to a study published in Lancet Planetary Health.

By: Aishwarya Sharma

Content: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/to-tackle-delhis-air-pollution-lt-governor-asks-to-optimise-use-of-mechanical-road-sweepers/articleshow/67900912.cms