Dust mitigation plan must for firms

Dust mitigation plan must for firms

Context

The Environment Ministry has made it mandatory for companies seeking environment clearance to ensure that they put in place a dust mitigation plan

Required standards

• Roads leading to or at construction sites must be paved and black-topped
• There could be no soil excavation without adequate dust mitigation measures in place
• No loose soil, sand, construction waste could be left uncovered
• A water sprinkling system was mandatory, and the measures taken should be prominently displayed at the construction site
• The grinding and cutting of building materials in open area is prohibited and no uncovered vehicles carrying construction material and waste would be permitted

Who developed the standards?

The standards were developed by the Central Pollution Control Board as part of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

Who is responsible for pollution in Delhi?

Key pollutants: A study by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and commissioned by the Delhi government reported, in 2015, that road dust, burning of biomass and municipal solid waste, constituted the lion’s share of the city’s air pollution

Road dust, key villain

• Road dust contributed 56% of all PM10 pollution, while it was 38% for PM2.5
• Another estimate by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune had different numbers but still ranked dust as the major contributor — 52% — to the city’s PM10 load

Dust

Dust is a generic term for a vast mix of metals and non-metals — silicon, aluminium, titanium, manganese, copper, barium, antimony, selenium and zinc