CPCB, State PCBs/ DPCC and all the concerned agencies to regularly monitor and enforce the identified dust mitigation measures.

Steps are being taken by the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) to effectively tackle dust pollution emanating from roads and open areas across the National Capital Region (NCR).

As per a press release by the ministry of Environment, forest and climate change, the aim is to strategically strengthen the dust mitigation measures with innovative solutions to curb the dust pollution sources. Directions have been issued by CAQM to all road owning/ maintaining/ road construction agencies of the State Governments of Uttar Pradesh (U.P.), Rajasthan, Haryana and GNCTD to set up Dust Control & Management Cells in their respective states. 

17 cells have been set up in the state of U.P, 11 in Delhi, eight in Rajasthan and two in Haryana.

The cells will regularly monitor the compliance of road dust control measures by the authorities concerned and will also keep track of the progress of measures undertaken. 

Apart from this, exhaustive reports prepared on a monthly basis by the cell will help in the fight against dust pollution more systematically.

As per a report by the Hindustan Times published on September 14, 2021,

S Narayanan, member secretary of Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), said, “In Gurugram, the main issues are dust pollution due to construction and demolition activities, transport, vehicular pollution and burning of solid waste. So, these will be our main focus issues. To manage this, the CAQM has directed us to constitute a dust control and management cell in individual operational departments by October. Along with this, we will address all social media complaints and grievances which will be made through the grievance cell.â€_x009d_

CAQM has formulated a 10-point dust monitoring parameter in this regard.

This parameter involves a variety of measures that needs to be strictly adopted by the Dust Control & Management Cells. These measures include:

• Optimum utilization of road sweeping machines

• Scientific disposal of dust collected in designated sites/ landfills 

• Water sprinkling to suppress dust especially after mechanized sweeping 

• Augmentation of mechanized sweeping and sprinkling capacity

• Proper management of roads to ensure potholes-free roads

• Laying or repairing roads in a manner which extensively supports mechanized sweeping 

• Conversion of non-paved roadsides into paved one or into a green area, 

• Greening of central verges 

• Laying cemented roads over bituminous roads especially in industrial areas

• Identification of hotspots of road dust and target-specific implementation of road dust control measures