New Delhi: Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Monday mandated all Construction and Demolition (C&D) projects in the NCR to deploy adequate numbers of anti-smog guns, in proportion to the total area of construction for the project, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said in a release.

The State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) of NCR and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) have also been directed to ensure continuous and effective use of the anti-smog guns installed at different C&D sited in their respective districts, it said.

This move is to mitigate dust arising out of Construction and Demolition (C&D) activities sites and intensify actions to further ameliorate the overall air quality of the National Capital Region (NCR).

“As per the recent Statutory Direction of the Commission, all C&D sites must deploy adequate numbers of anti-smog guns, as per following yardstick based on construction area at least 1 for a total construction area between 5000 – 10,000 sqm; at least 2 for a total construction area between 10,001 – 15,000 sqm; at least 3 for a total construction area between 15,001 – 20,000 sqm; and at least 4 for a total construction area above 20,000 sqm,” the ministry added.

Dust from the C&D activities is a major and consistent source of air pollution and contributes adversely to the spike in PM2.5 and PM10 levels in the NCR, the release said.

Use of treated water to mitigate large quantities of dust generated at C&D sites through use of anti-smog guns, sprinklers etc. with prescribed wet suppression, wind brokers, dust barrier screens, covering of construction material and C&D debris, proper disposal of C&D wastes including transportation in covered vehicles etc. are some of the steps that are essentially to be followed by C&D projects in the NCR.

The comprehensive Policy to Curb Air Pollution in the NCR formulated by the Commission in July, 2022, towards management of C&D activities to reduce dust, also stipulated deployment of adequate number of anti-smog guns in C&D project sites, the ministry said.

Apart from that, the revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to deal with adverse air quality scenario that generally prevails in the winter season in the entire NCR, also calls for enforcing guidelines for use of anti-smog guns at construction sites.