The cloth green meshes or green nets installed along construction sites are a common sight in Delhi to combat dust pollution. However, a latest assessment by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has found them ineffective as dust particles can easily pass through the material, prompting the committee to fix the minimum thickness of green nets at 100 grams per square metre (GSM) for construction and demolition (C&D) sites.
Immediate Compliance Required
All project proponents will have to comply with the specification with immediate effect, the DPCC stated. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the move aimed at better prevention of dust dispersion. The installation of green nets is one of the 14-point mandatory guideline to combat dust pollution at these sites. The DPCC order has been issued to major civic, infrastructure and construction-linked agencies, including MCD, NDMC, DDA, DMRC, CPWD and PWD, for immediate implementation.
Addressing a Critical Compliance Gap
Sirsa said the new specification would address a critical compliance gap. While earlier directions already required the use of tarpaulin or green nets around under-construction buildings and over-stored construction and demolition material, no minimum technical specification was prescribed for the green net itself. “With the fixation of 100GSM as the minimum standard, Delhi government has moved to ensure that dust barriers are not merely symbolic, but genuinely effective in containing particulate matter at source,” said Sirsa. He added that action would be taken against sites violating the order.
Dust as a Major Pollution Source
Dust is one of the main sources of pollution in Delhi. A 2018 joint study by The Energy and Resources Institute and Automotive Research Association of India stated that the contribution of dust (soil, road and construction) was 25% to PM10 and 17% to PM2.5 in Delhi's air pollution during winter. In summer, it was 42% in PM10 and 38% in PM2.5. Sunil Dahiya, founder of thinktank Envirocatalyst, said, “It is a welcome step to take policy action based on data and assessment. However, many sites do not properly install the green nets and action should be taken against them.”
Dust Portal 2.0 in the Works
Delhi government is also advancing work on Dust Portal 2.0 to provide a centralised monitoring and control mechanism for all C&D sites. “The registration of C&D sites on the dust portal has already been made mandatory,” said an official. This integrated approach aims to enhance compliance and ensure that dust control measures are effectively implemented across the capital.
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