Context
- Road dust is one of the largest contributors to particulate air pollution (PM10 and PM2.5) in Indian cities, yet it remains poorly managed despite major policy and financial interventions.
• With the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) targeting a 40% reduction in PM10 by 2025–26, controlling road dust is a national priority.
Key Highlights
Scale and Trends of Road Dust Pollution
- Road dust constitutes:
20–52% of PM10
8–25% of PM2.5 in 17 non-attainment cities.
Silt load variation across Indian cities:
0.2 g/m² to 111.2 g/m² across 32 cities.
Delhi’s average: 14.47 g/m² — North Indian cities have heavier silt loads than southern cities.
Budget Allocation under NCAP
- ₹19,711 crore allocated (2019–2025) to 131 cities.
• 64% of total spend has gone into road dust control — the highest among all pollution categories.
• Despite this, 29 cities saw an increase in PM10 levels.
Policy Landscape
2018 MoEFCC notification: Mandated paving and blacktopping of roads near construction sites.
•2021 CAQM initiative: Establishment of 68 Dust Control and Management Cells with measures such as paving, greening, mechanised sweeping, anti-smog guns, and dust hotspot mapping.
• 2025 CAQM study:
→ 24% road stretch = poor condition
→ 42% = moderate
→ 34% = good
• CAQM recommended:
→ Road digital mapping
→ Comprehensive road condition surveys
→ Standard Framework for Controlling Dust Pollution
Critical gap: Interventions heavily concentrated in Delhi–NCR, not scaled nationally.
Jurisdictional & Institutional Challenges
- Fragmented accountability across multiple agencies → diffused responsibility & funding.
→ Delhi: 12 agencies maintain roads
→ UP: 18 agencies
→ Haryana: 22 agencies
→ Rajasthan: 16 agencies - Insufficient mechanised sweeping capacity
→ Delhi requires ~200 sweeping machines, but has only 85. - Lack of SOP for disposal
→ Dust cleared from roads often dumped on roadsides or landfills → resuspension due to wind → zero net impact.
Practical Challenges & Knowledge Gaps
- Dust suppressants such as calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, lignosulphate, bitumen emulsions are used globally but not scientifically standardised in India.
• No national guidelines to decide:
→ What dust suppressants to use
→ When and where to use them
→ Scientific disposal of collected dust
• Construction & Demolition Waste Rules (2016) do not explicitly address road dust.
Relevant Prelims Points
- NCAP (2019): Target — 40% PM10 reduction by 2025–26.
• CAQM: Statutory body for NCR & adjoining areas → coordination + air quality regulation.
• PM10 vs PM2.5:
→ PM10 (≤10 µm) — coarser dust particles; major share in road dust.
→ PM2.5 (≤2.5 µm) — fine particles penetrating deep lungs & bloodstream.
Relevant Mains Points
Why current road dust mitigation is failing
- Priority on short-term measures (water sprinkling, sweeping) rather than structural fixes.
• Unscientific disposal → resuspension → ineffective pollution reduction.
• Missing national framework → inconsistent implementation across states.
Structural Reforms Needed
Nationwide standard operating procedures (SOPs) for:
• Road maintenance & paving
• Dust suppression chemicals
• Scientific dust disposal
GIS-based coordination platform for multi-agency road management.
Urban planning integration:
• Design green verges, porous pavements, dust-free construction models.
Infrastructure planning must include air quality metrics.
Way Forward
Move from “cleaning dust” to preventing dust formation” through:
Strict control on construction debris, erosion-prone verges, unpaved shoulders
Long-term repairs, not patchwork
Scientific monitoring of silt load to track performance
Scale CAQM approach nationwide