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Where does road dust settle in India’s efforts to clean its air?
Where does road dust settle in India’s efforts to clean its air? Premium
Road dust mainly comprises PM₁₀ and coarse particles and forms a large share of the air we breathe. With the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) aiming for a 40% reduction in PM₁₀ by 2025-2026, reducing road dust is an urgent priority.
This is reinforced by source apportionment studies across 17 non-attainment cities that have found road dust to be a major contributor to PM10 (20-52%) as well as PM2.5 (8-25%) particles. IIT-Delhi researchers have also recorded that streets in 32 cities across Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana vary widely vis-à-vis their silt loads, from 0.2 g/m2 to 111.2 g/m²; Delhi averages 14.47 g/m².
Overall, cities in North India have heavier silt loads and are thus dustier than their southern counterparts.
In response, governments have already invested heavily in fighting dust. Per a 2024 reportby the Centre for Science and Environment, ₹19,711 crore was allocated to 131 cities between 2019 and 2025 under the NCAP to improve air quality. By November 2023, nearly 64% of the total fund had been spent on road dust control, far more than what was spent on tackling biomass burning, vehicular pollution, and capacity-building efforts.
While this suggests that there's a prioritisation, it's essential to assess effectiveness on the ground.
Efforts to control road dust have been underway for several years. In January 2018, the Union Environment Ministry issued a notification to mitigate dust at construction sites, mandating paving and blacktopping of roads leading up to such sites. In 2021, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) recommended the establishment of ‘Dust Control and Management Cells'. Following statutory directions from the CAQM, 68 Cells were set up to undertake a comprehensive set of actions, including identifying dust hotspots, paving and repairing roads and roadsides, greening central verges and roadsides, and deploying mechanised road-sweeping machines and anti-smog guns. The CAQM periodically reviews these activities. However, dust from roads and open areas remains a major driver of poor air quality in Delhi-NCR.
To strengthen its approach, the CAQM initiated a study called ‘Addressing vehicular traffic-induced road dust resuspension for air quality action plans' in 2025. In the pilot phase, 24% of 82 km of assessed road length was found to be in poor condition, 42% moderate, and 34% good. The CAQM also set up a committee to develop a ‘Standard Framework for Controlling Dust Pollution from Roads and Open Areas'.
Both initiatives recommended multiple activities, including paving and greening, for the NCR states as well as additional steps such as digital mapping of all roads in Delhi-NCR and conducting comprehensive road condition surveys.
As is evident, these efforts were focused on Delhi-NCR whereas similar measures and institutional mechanisms are needed across India. Indeed, the Environment (Protection) Act 1986 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981 make broad references to road dust management. The Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules 2025 don't outline specific regulations addressing road dust control at the national scale, however. There are also no standard operating procedures to scientifically dispose of the dust collected by manual and mechanised sweeping to prevent resuspension.
While the NCAP, the CAQM guidelines, and city action plans prioritise control options such as paving roads and roadsides, sprinkling water, and so on, the outcomes remain uneven. Even with 64% of the total NCAP fund spent on road repair and maintenance, 29 cities have reported an increase in PM10 concentrations. Of the 68 cities where the local PM10 concentration dropped, 61 were above the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, pointing to the limited effectiveness of extant interventions.
One major challenge is fragmented jurisdiction. Under the NCAP, municipal corporations and State Pollution Control Boards are required to curb road dust. In practice, however, the responsibility is split across multiple agencies. In Delhi, 12 agencies — including the Municipal Corporation, the Delhi Development Authority, the Central Public Works Department, and the National Highways Authority of India — maintain roads. Similarly, 18 agencies are involved in Uttar Pradesh, 22 in Haryana, and 16 in Rajasthan. Without clearly demarcated roles, funds and accountability become diffused.
Operational constraints add to the problem. Of Delhi's total road length of 19,000 km, only 8,000 km has been identified for mechanised sweeping. Around 200 mechanised road-sweeping machines (each operating at 40 km/hr) are required to clean this stretch every day. Yet the number of such machines in Delhi is only 85. This gap is much wider in other cities, underscoring the need to properly estimate road length and for machine mapping.
Road dust management guidelines should also be established to define the appropriate type of cleaning and maintenance machinery based on road width, surface type, traffic conditions, debris characteristics, water availability, and seasonal variations.
Finally, to ensure agencies coordinate better, a GIS-based platform should be created to allow them to monitor and resolve complaints in real-time, thus improving accountability. Such a system can be integrated with existing applications, such as the Green Delhi App and Swachhata App, to improve coordination and response.
Dust pollution is mainly caused by unscientific practices during road development and maintenance. The collected dust is typically discarded in landfills or on roadsides, wherefrom the wind easily carries it back into cities, rendering the entire sweeping process ineffective.
Dust suppressant chemicals such as calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, and natural polymer-based agents (e.g. lignosulphate and bitumen-based emulsions) are widely available. However, their effectiveness and impact on soil and road health aren't well documented. We need scientifically informed mitigation strategies, including guidelines for using dust suppressants and scientific disposal mechanisms for collection.
Addressing road and open-area dust across India will require a holistic and time-bound approach, embedded within a long-term, sustainable urban planning framework. A comprehensive, science-based regulatory mechanism for cleaner road construction and maintenance, considering open roadsides and air quality as critical components of infrastructure development plans, is essential.
Thoughtfully designed and consistently implemented dust control strategies can significantly enhance air quality, protect public health, and help build more resilient and liveable cities.
Charu Tyagi is a senior associate and Swagata Dey heads the Air Quality Policy and Outreach team, both at the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), a research-based think tank.
Published - November 24, 2025 11:30 am IST
air pollution / road transport
Source: The Hindu
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