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News18
15 hours ago
- Health
- News18
Delhi Govt Takes Aim At Air Pollution, Mandates Anti-Smog Guns For All Commercial High-Rises
Last Updated: The designated buildings must install anti-smog guns within six months and operate them year-round, excluding the monsoon season from June 15 to October 1 To combat air pollution in Delhi, the city government has mandated the year-round installation of anti-smog guns on all high-rise commercial buildings. Residential buildings are exempt from this order, which applies to commercial complexes, malls, hotels with a built-up area exceeding 3,000 square metres, and office/institutional buildings with a height of ground plus five floors (G+5) or more. The department of environment, under minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, issued the directive under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. All year, with monsoon break The designated buildings must install anti-smog guns within six months and operate them year-round, excluding the monsoon season from June 15 to October 1. The government has stipulated that each building must deploy a minimum number of guns proportionate to its built-up area, starting with three guns for areas below 10,000 square metres and increasing by one gun for every additional 5,000 square metres. 'The equipment must be mounted to the building's parapet wall using fixed brackets and not mobile trailers. Each smog gun should be capable of a horizontal mist throw of 75 to 100 metres and produce droplets between 5 to 20 microns in size to effectively target airborne particulate matter like PM2.5 and PM10," an official statement explained. The department stated that the directive stems from consistent observations indicating the need for stringent measures to reduce suspended particulate matter and directed the use of anti-smog guns in high-pollution urban areas. 'This step is emphasised by the alarming deterioration in air quality observed during the October to January winter months. The city endured prolonged periods of 'Very Poor' to 'Severe' air quality, significantly underscoring the urgent need for effective environmental interventions," the department added. Sirsa noted that for years, this aspect of pollution control has been either advisory or seasonal. 'What we've done today is historic. For the first time, Delhi has acted with legal clarity to curb a long-ignored pollution source. This is accountability in action," he stated. Operations The smog guns are to be operated intermittently during peak pollution hours—6.30 to 9.30 am, 5.30 to 8.30 pm, and 1.30 to 4.30 am—in short bursts to maximise effectiveness and conserve electricity and water. Operation must not exceed 1,200 litres per hour or 10,000 litres over an eight-hour day. Only treated water should be used to operate these guns. The equipment should have minimal sound output from blowers and, where feasible, include integrated air quality monitoring sensors. Buildings between seven and 10 storeys are considered optimal for generating effective ground-level mist dispersion. Around mid-May, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in parts of Delhi exceeded 300 due to a severe dust storm that also affected the city's visibility. Typically, with the onset of winter, the city's air quality deteriorates to poor or severe categories, persisting for weeks. First Published:
Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Tonnes of waste cleared daily, but GCC merely dumps it at shut sites?
1 2 Chennai: Chennai clears its streets of construction waste every day — but where does it all go? Nowhere, says the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), in a detailed report submitted to the National Green Tribunal. Despite the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) collecting nearly 1,000 metric tonnes of construction and demolition (C&D) waste daily, the two official processing sites — Perungudi and Kodungaiyur — remain shut, with waste continuing to pile up since their closure. Perungudi stopped functioning in August 2024, while Kodungaiyur followed in December. Though both plants were set up in 2020 with a capacity of 400 MT per day and had valid consents to operate until 2030, the shutdown rendered the collection exercise incomplete. The collected debris is now accumulating at these very sites, violating environmental norms and threatening to undo efforts made under the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016. The TNPCB report also notes that GCC identified 25 dumping hotspots across the city, with persistent illegal dumping near parks, metro rail stations, and even crematoria. While GCC claims to have outsourced C&D collection and transportation to a private contractor, the TNPCB inspections across all 15 city zones confirm that the final step — processing — is not happening. The Board's photos from the ground further confirm this stagnation. In response to a Central Pollution Control Board alert over repeated violations, TNPCB has now issued formal directions to GCC under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The civic body has been asked to comply with the 2016 rules, act against violators, and implement CPCB's 2017 guidelines on environmental management of C&D waste. The report concludes by urging the Tribunal to instruct GCC to restore operations at existing plants and install additional capacity, considering the city's daily waste generation. "They shut the Perungudi plant in August and Kodungaiyur in December, yet keep collecting 1,000 tonnes daily. Where is it all going? In Valmiki Nagar, over 50 tonnes were cleared once, but it came back in weeks. Without processing, the waste is just getting dumped elsewhere," said Karthikeyan, a Thiruvanmiyur resident.
Hans India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Year-long smog guns made compulsory for Delhi's commercial high-rises: Minister Sirsa
New Delhi: In a first, Delhi has become the first city-state to mandate the use of anti-smog guns round the year on all commercial high-rise buildings, including malls, hotels and office complexes, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Friday. He added that the Department of Environment has issued a directive under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, mandating the installation and operation of anti-smog guns on specified high-rise buildings across the city. "This is the first time Delhi has taken decisive steps using vertical infrastructure as part of its air pollution response," he said. The direction mandates that eligible buildings install anti-smog guns within six months and operate them throughout the year, except during the monsoon period from June 15 to October 1. The directive applies to all commercial complexes, malls, and hotels with a built-up area greater than 3,000 square metres, as well as all institutional and office buildings that are ground plus five floors (G+5) or higher. Residential houses, group housing societies, and individual residential buildings are exempt from this mandate, an official statement said. The direction is rooted in consistent observations for stringent measures to reduce suspended particulate matter and directed the use of anti-smog guns in high-pollution urban zones, said Minister Sirsa. "This step has been taken due to deterioration in air quality observed during the October to January months. The city endured prolonged periods of 'Very Poor' to 'Severe' air quality, significantly underscoring the urgent need for effective environmental interventions," he added. Minister Sirsa said, "For years, this aspect of pollution control was either been advisory in nature or seasonal. What we've done today is historic. For the first time, Delhi has acted with legal clarity to curb a long-ignored pollution source. This is accountability in action." He added, "This government will no longer tolerate half-measures. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the able guidance of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, we are ensuring that pollution control becomes embedded in urban infrastructure." The government direction said each eligible building must deploy a minimum number of smog guns in proportion to its built-up area -- starting from three guns for areas below 10,000 square metres and scaling up plus 1 with every 5000 square metre added to the size. The equipment must be mounted to the building's parapet wall using fixed brackets and not mobile trailers. Each smog gun should be capable of a horizontal mist throw of 75 to 100 metres and produce droplets between 5 to 20 microns in size to effectively target airborne particulate matter like PM2.5 and PM10. Operation must not exceed 1,200 litre per hour or 10,000 litre over an eight-hour day. The smog guns are to be operated intermittently during peak pollution hours -- 6:30 to 9:30 a.m., 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 4:30 a.m. -- in short bursts to maximise effectiveness and conserve electricity and water, the official directive said. The equipment should have minimal sound output from blowers and, where feasible, include integrated air quality monitoring sensors. Buildings between 7 and 10 storeys are considered optimal for generating effective ground-level mist dispersion, it added. Implementation and enforcement responsibilities have been assigned to the Municipal Corporations of Delhi, the Delhi Development Authority, the Public Works Department, the Central Public Works Department, NBCC, Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, and other construction-approving or land-owning agencies. These agencies are required to ensure full compliance and submit quarterly reports to the Department of Environment detailing actions taken, monitoring outcomes, and penalties imposed where necessary, it said.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
NGT raps Taj Trapezium Zone, UP govt for‘not taking requisite steps' to curb pollution
Agra: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has pulled up UP govt and the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) authority for "their failure to implement effective pollution-curbing measures in Agra". The tribunal observed that "in spite of established plans, the authorities have not executed requisite steps to mitigate pollution". This censure was expressed in an order dated May 14, with the document made available on Saturday. NGT directed both the TTZ chairman and state environment secretary to submit a detailed affidavit outlining the measures adopted to execute various plans "within a period of four weeks". The tribunal scheduled the next hearing for Sept 19. A bench of Justices Prakash Shrivastava (chairperson), Sudhir Agarwal, Arun Kumar Tyagi and Afroz Ahmad considered an application filed by Eisha Krishn, Mansi Bachani and Gitanjali Sanyal with their advisers. The petition called for the implementation of the 2019 Action Plan for Control of Air Pollution in Agra city, featuring "short-term and long-term measures for pollution reduction". by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo Prior to the hearing on May 6, Agra district magistrate Aravind Mallappa Bangari outlined steps "proposed in terms of the Master Plan of Agra", which included introduction of electric buses, construction of peripheral highways, collection of segregated waste by agencies and then its disposal directly in the plant without dumping it on land, ensure ban on burning of farm waste and crop residues, and tree plantation drives, among others. The tribunal stated that although deadlines for many of these measures have long lapsed, several initiatives remain unexecuted. "The action plan is yet to be fully implemented," the tribunal stated. The order further read: "We are of the view that the clear and full details in respect of the action which has been taken to implement the action plan for Agra have not been placed on record. The secretary, environment department, state of UP, is directed to file an affidavit providing the full details of the actions completed.... Let this affidavit be filed within a period of four weeks." Additionally, NGT directed TTZ chairman to submit an affidavit detailing actions to ensure the implementation of the plan and compliance with powers under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The TTZ -- spanning 10,400 sq km around the Taj Mahal -- was constituted to shield the monument from pollution. It covers Agra, Mathura, Firozabad, Hathras, Etah in UP, as well as Bharatpur in Rajasthan and some portions of Aligarh and Dholpur.
India Today
24-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
National Green Tribunal slams Centre, UP government over Agra pollution
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has pulled up the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) authority for failing to implement proper measures to mitigate the issue of pollution in NGT noted that despite plans being in place, the implementation of pollution mitigation measures has not been done by the authorities. It has asked the Chairman of TTZ and the Environment Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh government to file a detailed affidavit on the measures undertaken to implement various tribunal observed that although the timeline for implementing these measures has expired long back, the action plan has not been implemented till now. "Thus, we are of the view that the clear and full details in respect of action which has been taken to implement the action plan for Agra have not been placed on record," said the tribunal observed that many of the air pollution control measures, ranging from the launch of electric buses, peripheral highways and the planting of trees, remain on paper in Agra Taj has asked the UP government to submit the updated timelines for the implementation of these projects in the central government constituted the Taj Trapezium Zone Pollution (Prevention and Control) authority in 1998 in exercise of its powers conferred under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to protect the Taj Mahal and other World Heritage Sites like the Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri from is a defined area of 10,400 sq km around Taj Mahal. TTZ covers Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras and Etah districts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan's Bharatpur TTZ is divided into four zones based on industry type, namely the Red, Green, Orange and White Zones, with the red zone being the most Watch IN THIS STORY#Uttar Pradesh
