Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena has ordered a year long campaign to ensure dust free Delhi and his secretariat will regularly monitor the progress.  In a review meeting to tackle pollution last week, Saxena had then asked the concerned agencies to launch the drive over the next one week to ten days, Raj Niwas said here on Monday. Pollution caused by road dust is one of the two major contributors to air pollution in Delhi, and with the rains have been stopped for the past three-four days, dried up mud /silt accumulated on roads is flying high in the environment causing major air pollution.  The agencies involved in the exercise include MCD, PWD, NDMC, I&FCD and DJB, officials said.  Dilapidated unrepaired roads, back-flowing sewer lines and un-silted drains have resulted in huge amount of mud / silt getting deposited on roads and footpaths.  This mud / silt, wet till now due to continuous rains, is drying up and flying higher due to moving traffic. The LG has advised the road-owning agencies - primarily MCD and PWD to clean the roads of the dust, not leave it accumulated on the road and transport it to designated dumping sites. Similarly, agencies responsible for cleaning of drains and sewer lines, viz MCD, I&FCD and DJB have been asked to coordinate and get the silt / mud picked up and disposed. Rains are likely during October first week and this exercise of clearing the dust will serve many purposes.  While on one hand, it would mitigate air pollution in the city immediately, on the other hand it would ensure that when rains return, there is less water logging and mud / silt on the roads. Saxena has emphasized that even if it rains, the exercise of removing the wet mud / silt from the roads should be continued so as to ensure that they do not flow into drains and sewer lines, in the process choking them.  The Departments / agencies have been asked to immediately deploy teams and record the works been undertaken through before and after pictures and videos.  The status of ongoing works will be regularly provided to the LG Secretariat and Saxena will review the status after completion of the first phase of the Dust-free Delhi exercise.

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