Why in the News
Ahead of winter, NHAI has deployed about 60 water-sprinkling tankers/sprinklers, 14 anti-smog guns (cannon-like machines that spray a fine mist of water into the air to settle dust and smog), 23 mechanical road sweeping machines (MRSM), two tractor-driven broom machines and more than 900 personnel to control air pollution on highways and expressways in Delhi-NCR (PIB, 22 October 2026). 13 MRSMs are operating on 157 km of highway stretches in NCR. In the review by Member (Technical) Alok Deepankar, directions were given to comply with the standards of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM, the statutory body for air-pollution control in Delhi-NCR and adjoining areas) - covering of construction material, dust-free road surfaces, intensive measures in line with the stages of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP, a phased plan of measures that tighten with the pollution level) - and daily reporting with geo-tagged photos.
Two Noteworthy Environmental Facts
- In FY 2025-26, about 9.80 lakh saplings were planted in NCR against a target of 9.52 lakh, with a survival rate above 90%.
- About 13.58 lakh tonnes of inert material from Delhi's landfill sites was used in embankment construction (the raised earth-fill strip of a road) for Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II) and the DND-Sohna corridor - a combination of reducing garbage mountains and road building.
Other Review Points
Traffic-decongestion projects such as UER-II, the Dwarka Expressway, DND-Sohna and the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, and the quick resolution of complaints received through the Green Delhi app/social media were also part of the review.
Context and Detailed Explanation
This NHAI initiative should be understood from the pollution contribution of road dust. In Delhi-NCR, road and construction dust is among the steady sources of fine-particle pollution; in winter, slower air circulation lets particles settle in the atmosphere, so preventive preparation in line with GRAP stages is done as early as October. The deployed machinery has distinct roles: water sprinkling stops surface dust from flying; the anti-smog gun releases fine water particles into the air to settle dust and haze; MRSMs mechanically collect the dust settled on the road surface. The direction of daily reporting with geo-tagged photos is a step towards verifying accountability - evidence is available with place and time. The use of landfill inert material in embankments gives a double benefit - the height of garbage mountains falls and road construction gets fill material; this is a practical example of 'waste-to-wealth'. This article also shows an expansion of NHAI's role - from highway builder to active participant in regional air-quality management. For related analysis, see 7250 (CREA/GRAP); this article gives a measure-level implementation detail.
From the Exam Perspective
NHAI's role expansion, anti-smog gun/MRSM, reuse of landfill inert material (waste-to-wealth), identification of the UER-II/DND-Sohna/Delhi-Dehradun corridors - Prelims facts; a field example of GRAP implementation.
Sources and Limitations
- PIB (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways), 22 October 2026 (read): https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2326657
- Limitations: All figures are from the press release. This article gives a measure-level implementation detail separate from 7250 (CREA/GRAP) and 7315 (Mains analysis) - not a repetition.