With an aim to determine pollution concentrations at construction sites during different on-site construction activities and promote clean construction practices, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Signature Global (India) Limited, and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) announced the deployment of an air quality monitoring network in Gurugram.
The network comprises nine air quality monitors and one automatic weather station, and the data from this air quality monitoring network will be provided to project developers and research teams through a dashboard that will capture pollution concentrations during different on-site construction activities, the statement issued by Signature Global and CEEW said on May 2.
The network will also strengthen regulation of pollution activities on construction sites and promote clean construction practices, it added.
The pilot project has been launched under the ‘Cleaner Air and Better Health’ project supported by the USAID.
Speaking on the occasion, Pradeep Aggarwal, Founder and Chairman, Signature Global (India) Ltd, said that during winters the government had to impose occasional blanket bans on construction activities every year in a bid to reduce air pollution.
These bans, in turn, have led to project delays and impacted all stakeholders, including homebuyers, investors, and developers.
“Henceforth, we have partnered with CEEW to explore innovative ways to mitigate air pollution on construction sites and embrace cleaner construction practices. We hope that this pilot sets a new precedent for clean and green construction practices,” he said.
Praveen Jain, Chairman National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) said that no agency including the government has a clear idea the exact amount of pollution being generated by construction activities at their sites.
“We are getting a study conducted on this issue by IIT Delhi. There are several construction activities such as steel binding, MIVAN shuttering which do not cause pollution and should be allowed. The report of the study will be out soon and I hope that there should be some outcome,” Jain said.
Recently, Haryana State Pollution Control Board issued a public notice directing all project sites of more than 500 square meters to install reliable PM2.5 and PM10 sensors to measure microscopic fractions of particulate matter in the air, which cause serious health problems when inhaled.
Arunabha Ghosh, CEO, CEEW said that construction and demolition activities represent an important source of air pollution and a construction site can have an outsized role in residents' exposure to pollution.
“Monitoring air quality around construction sites and introducing protocols that promote self-regulation by the industry and demonstrate their best practices is an important first step in mitigating this large source.”
This pilot project aims to find solutions to reduce air pollution from construction activities, Ghosh said.
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