100 km of Roads That Kick Up Dust to Be Paved in Gurgaon, Faridabad
Rao Narbir Singh, the minister for environment, forests, and wildlife, said the project would focus on Gurgaon, Faridabad and Sonipat in the first phase, other NCR districts in the second and the rest of Delhi-NCR in the third-phase "Of the total funds, 10.9% will focus on strengthening state capabilities for air quality management, while 89% will be utilised for advancing sector-wise interventions and 0.1% is set out for IGP airshed cooperation," he said.
On the basis of a source apportionment study published by TERI in 2018, a list of 16 sector-wise interventions were formulated under HCAPSD to reduce sector emissions by 2030.
In 2023, PM2.5 levels in the city exceeded safe limits for 71% of the year, with only 105 days meeting the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Notably, 82 of these days occurred during the monsoon (June–Sept), with the rest split between March–May and winter. For the second consecutive year, no day met the stricter WHO standards. The plan is to design standard methodology and implementation technique C&D waste measurement at site and city level. Undertake measurement of total waste generated in the state (both legacy and ongoing). Introduction of a state buy-back policy mandating use of 10% recycled C&D waste among all construction agencies.
It will also include installation of 500 CCTV cameras at potential dumping spots for continuous review and monitoring, levy environmental compensation on non-compliance to clean construction practices, formation of committee led by Chief Secretary, Haryana, including Dept of Environment, ULB, HSPCB, PWD, HSIIDC and MCs to ensure 100% utilisation of processing plant capacity.
Apart from road dust, the city will be among four districts in the state where 10 air quality monitoring stations will be established by the end of 2025.Other than calculating air quality index (AQI), these stations will be equipped with equipment to study source apportionment – contribution of pollutants from different sources.
Officials said that these stations will be set up in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat and Bahadurgarh – identified by the state pollution control board as the most polluted districts of Haryana. The procurement process to get equipment for these stations has commenced.
Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at the Centre for Science and Environment stated that the HCAPSD is a significant step towards mitigating air pollution through targeted interventions across various sectors. By focusing on road dust, construction waste, vehicular emissions.