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In a bid to tackle Delhi’s worsening air quality, the Public Works Department (PWD) will install mist spraying systems at Anand Vihar, one of the Capital’s most polluted areas, officials said on Thursday. This will be the fourth high-pollution zone in Delhi to get the dust-suppressing system, following similar projects in Narela, Bawana, and Jahangirpuri. “The sprinklers will be installed on central verges of roads in Anand Vihar and Vivek Vihar. Tenders have been floated for the project,” a PWD official said. The system will spray RO-treated water at 2,000 litres per hour and operate in two shifts from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. The ₹4-crore project includes five years of operation, maintenance, and on-site security. Work costing ₹2 crore will be completed within 30 days, officials said. The initiative follows Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s directive to install sprinklers and smog guns year-round. Earlier this year, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa inspected a similar system on Lodhi Road, designed to suppress dust and cut carbon emissions. Delhi’s air quality dipped into the ‘very poor’ category on Thursday and is expected to remain so for the next three days, according to the Central government’s Air Quality Early Warning System. The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) rose sharply to 311 (very poor) at 4 p.m., up from 202 (poor) the previous day, data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed. Stubble burning Stubble burning in neighbouring States is expected to worsen the situation, with its contribution to Delhi’s PM2.5 levels projected to surge from 1.2% on November 5 to 38% on Friday before tapering slightly over the weekend. As pollution levels rose, over 80 students, activists, and citizens gathered at Jantar Mantar to protest against “government inaction” on the crisis. “Delhi’s air has reached alarming levels, with AQI crossing 500 in some areas,” said Chiranshu, a protester, adding that nearly 17,000 people die annually due to pollution-related causes. Activist Priyamvada said the situation could improve only through consistent, year-round efforts. Meanwhile, 91 public and private buildings have installed anti-smog guns. The government has mandated that all buildings taller than five storeys must do so by November 29, with a target of 150 installations, a step environmentalists criticised as merely a “band-aid solution”. (With inputs from PTI)
