With the Capital’s air continuing to remain in the “severe” and “very poor” categories, the Delhi government has announced a new scientific study to identify sources of pollution across the city. The move comes after it emerged that key clean-air strategies were still being guided by a seven-year-old report.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Saturday that the government would sign a formal partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune. The study will aim to map both citywide and local pollution sources, track the scale of emissions, and update hotspot zones.
He said the new exercise is essential to understand where the pollution is originating, how it is spreading, and which areas need targeted interventions. The updated mapping is expected to revise the classification of hotspots and bring clarity to localised pollution behaviour.
November 27 the current source-apportionment data being used by various departments dates back to 2018. Although a fresh study was completed in 2023, the government had not accepted it, leaving the clean-air action plan unchanged for years.
Sirsa acknowledged the delay, calling it “unfortunate,” and confirmed that the last officially accepted study remains the one conducted in 2018.
The announcement follows a direction from the Prime Minister’s Office to the Commission for Air Quality Management on October 23. The PMO asked the pollution watchdog to fast-track the preparation of a new emissions inventory and updated source-apportionment studies for Delhi and the National Capital Region.
Sirsa said that earlier administrations relied on outdated hotspot lists that identified only thirteen problem areas. Delhi Police, he said, has now identified sixty-two “high-traffic” pollution hubs across the city.
He also announced that the Delhi Pollution Control Committee will hire one hundred surveyors for a year-long door-to-door audit of city roads. This will include inspections of potholes, dust-control measures, and third-party verification to check whether reports filed by departments reflect the ground reality.
District Magistrates and Municipal Corporation of Delhi officials have also been tasked with a seven-day survey of all industrial areas legal, resettlement and non-conforming to identify polluting units and industries running without approvals.
On enforcement, the minister said that seven hundred and fifty construction sites have been inspected, five hundred and fifty-six notices issued, and penalties worth seven crore rupees imposed. Forty-eight construction sites have been ordered closed.
In the last two days alone, two hundred and thirty inspections across departments including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Public Works Department, Delhi Development Authority, Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation, and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation—resulted in penalties amounting to one crore rupees, even for government agencies.
Sirsa said that vehicle-emission violations under the Pollution Under Control rules have risen sharply. Nearly eight lakh challans have been issued this year, compared to over four lakh during the same period last year.
He added that enforcement teams continue to monitor dust and open burning across the city. Five hundred and thirty-six challans were issued for failures in dust management and six hundred and thirty-three for open burning.
To discourage bonfires during winter, the government has also distributed thousands of heaters across more than fourteen hundred Resident Welfare Associations, as part of a larger plan to distribute ten thousand heaters to labourers, guards and workers who usually light fires at night.
The minister said that strict orders have been issued against biomass burning, following the direction of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. Delhi Police, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the New Delhi Municipal Council have been asked to take strong action against any violations.
He also announced additional support for sanitation and road cleaning, including funding for one thousand litter pickers and one hundred new mechanical sweepers. Compact machines will now be deployed on roads narrower than sixty feet, a move that officials say will improve cleaning efficiency in unauthorised colonies and dense neighbourhoods.