Clean Air Dialogues II: Tackling Dust Pollution Through Better Urban Planning
The second edition of Clean Air Dialogues, organised by the CAQM Resource Lab, focused on one of the largest contributors to air pollution in the NCR—dust. The session brought together government officials, researchers, urban practitioners, and citizens to discuss practical, long-term solutions for reducing dust pollution in cities.
Discussions highlighted that road and construction (C&D) dust contribute nearly 27% of PM2.5 pollution during summer in the NCR. It was also noted that around 64% of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) funds have been allocated towards dust mitigation, underlining its importance in improving air quality.
While measures such as mechanised road sweeping and water sprinkling remain essential, speakers stressed that dust management must go beyond routine maintenance. The discussion emphasised the need for complete streets, better urban greening, improved road design, and stricter enforcement of dust control measures at construction and demolition sites to reduce dust generation at its source.
Dr. S. D. Attri, Member (Technical), Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), spoke about the roadmap for implementing dust mitigation through City Action Plans, with several NCR cities committed to redeveloping thousands of kilometres of streets. Shri Dilkhush Meena shared the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s experience from its 27-day Dust Free Roads drive, during which 112 metric tonnes of dust were removed from city roads.
The technical session featured insights from Anumita Roychowdhury (Centre for Science and Environment), Dr. Sumit Sharma (UNEP), Nidhi Madan, and Sarika Panda Bhatt (Raahgiri Foundation), who shared evidence and best practices from India and around the world on effective dust mitigation strategies.
A key takeaway from the dialogue was that addressing dust pollution requires a long-term, integrated approach. Road redevelopment that incorporates complete streets, green infrastructure, and effective dust management at source can significantly improve air quality while creating healthier and more liveable cities.
The Clean Air Dialogues are convened by the CAQM Resource Lab—a joint initiative of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and Raahgiri Foundation, in collaboration with the India International Centre.