Govt, start-ups join hands to tackle Delhi-NCR air pollution crisis

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav engaged with start-ups to explore tech-driven solutions for Delhi-NCR's air pollution. The focus is on using AI, real-time monitoring, and other technologies to tackle industrial emissions, dust, and crop burning.

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday interacted with start-ups and technology innovators to explore affordable and scalable technology-driven solutions to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR, with a focus on real-time monitoring, pollution control and technology-enabled enforcement, a release said.

The interaction was held under the campaign 'Saaf Hawa mein Hissedaari, Hum Sabhi ki hai Zimmedaari' and aimed at bridging the gap between policymakers and technology innovators to develop practical solutions that can be deployed on the ground. Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh and Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, along with senior officials from various ministries and pollution control agencies, were also present at the meeting.

Strengthening Tech-Enabled Enforcement

Addressing the gathering, Yadav described the engagement as a proactive initiative to strengthen coordination between policymakers and innovators, adding that such interactions could bring greater uniformity in policy implementation and enhance transparency in governance.

He stressed the need to strengthen technology-enabled enforcement and said that integrating Online Continuous Emission Monitoring System (OCEMS) data with plant-operation data was essential to identify malpractices. He also highlighted the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in detecting violations and improving monitoring mechanisms.

Key Areas and Proposed Solutions

The discussions covered nine key areas of air pollution management, including industrial emissions, vehicle pollution, construction dust, road dust, crop-residue burning and waste management.

The proposed solutions included AI-enabled identification of industrial emission violations, real-time monitoring of diesel generator emission-control devices, tamper-proof pollution-under-control (PUC) testing systems and technologies to detect and control dust at construction and demolition sites.

Leveraging Advanced Technology for Real-Time Monitoring

The innovators also presented solutions for hyperlocal air-quality monitoring, city-wide pollution mapping, identification of pollution hotspots, AI-based source apportionment and predictive traffic-congestion management. Briefing the media, Yadav said the interaction focused on leveraging AI, sensors, remote sensing, satellite and drone-based technologies, and data analytics to improve real-time understanding of air pollution and enable timely interventions. Technologies for round-the-clock detection of stubble and open biomass burning, as well as automated identification of vehicles without valid PUC certificates and over-aged vehicles, were also showcased during the interaction.

Focus on Waste and Residue Management

The Union Minister emphasised the importance of city-wide air-quality monitoring, cleaner vehicles and smoother traffic management. He also called for environment-friendly solutions for the scientific management of crop residue, solid waste and construction and demolition waste.

On crop-residue management, Yadav highlighted the need for guidelines on paddy straw storage involving the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). He also stressed the development of an in-situ crop-residue storage model.

The discussions further explored ways to connect recycled construction and demolition waste products with demand from the construction sector, alongside integrated systems for the collection, transportation and productive utilisation of paddy straw for bioenergy, biomass fuel, composting and other value-added products. Start-ups also showcased crop-residue-based materials and biochar-based solutions aimed at converting agricultural waste into useful products and reducing the need for open-field burning.

Yadav called for integrated, scalable and economically viable interventions that could be deployed across Delhi-NCR, urging innovators to align their technologies with field-level requirements and explore mechanisms for wider implementation and monitoring. The initiative seeks to bring together government agencies, technology innovators and field-level stakeholders to develop actionable solutions to address the region's air pollution challenge. (ANI)

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