Rekha Gupta govt's big action as Delhi battles ‘severe’ air pollution

As Delhi continued to reel under ‘severe’ air pollution levels on Thursday, December 4, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta launched a new pole-mounted mist spray system at ITO - one of the city's worst-affected traffic corridors - marking the first phase of a wider dust-control plan across major hotspots. The government said the technology is now central to its emergency response as winter smog tightens its grip on the Capital. Officials added that the system will be expanded rapidly to other high-pollution stretches over the coming days, alongside stricter enforcement and round-the-clock monitoring.

Delhi Air Pollution: Mist sprayers installed across ITO to curb dust

Launching the project, CM Gupta said that 35 poles at ITO have already been fitted with mist sprayers, each carrying five nozzles and 30 spray points, designed to blanket the area with fine water mist to trap dust particles.

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Every pole dispenses 84 litres of treated water per hour, supported by four storage tanks of 5,000 litres each. Similar systems have been deployed on stretches of Shanti Path (900 metres) and Lodhi Road (500 metres), with performance reports showing encouraging early results.

Expansion planned across nine identified hotspots

Gupta said the city plans to install mist sprayers on 305 poles across nine critical hotspots, identified by real-time pollution mapping and DPCC data. “These stretches see some of the worst dust load in the city. Mist systems have shown promise, and we are scaling up quickly,” she said. The Chief Minister appealed for public cooperation, calling pollution control a “joint battle” that requires citizen support, timely reporting, and compliance with traffic and construction norms.

At a high-level review meeting on Wednesday, the Chief Minister told departments that no negligence will be tolerated, describing pollution control as an “emergency mission”. She directed the DPCC to issue challans and levy heavy penalties on agencies failing to maintain dust-control standards, road maintenance norms, or cleanliness protocols.

She also ordered FIRs against departments involved in unauthorised road-cutting or failing to restore roads properly.

What the government decided?

The government has given departments a strict 72-hour deadline to identify and repair potholes. The PWD, which oversees 1,400 km of Delhi roads, must upload before-and-after photographs on its monitoring app. The DDA has been asked to clear waste from vacant plots and hand over markets to the MCD without delay, while the Delhi Metro must repair roads under its elevated corridors and take dust-control measures immediately.

Focus on enforcement and public transport

Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the “311 Green App” is being strengthened as the nodal platform to flag dust hotspots, broken roads, and brown zones. A six-month action plan is being drafted to intensify dust-free measures across identified locations. Sirsa added that stricter checks will be carried out against vehicles below BS-IV norms, and that the city will push e-autos to improve Metro connectivity and reduce last-mile emissions. He said mist-spray systems have shown “clear results on the ground” and will now be expanded across major roads.