Hyderabad: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has deployed around 60 water sprinklers and tankers, 14 anti-smog guns and 23 Mechanical Road Sweeping Machines (MRSMs) across national highways and expressways in Delhi-NCR to control dust ahead of the winter season, the authority said in a statement on Thursday.
NHAI said it has also deployed two tractor-mounted broomers and more than 900 workers to support dust mitigation on the region's highways. Thirteen of the sweeping machines are operating across 157 km of national highway stretches within Delhi-NCR, it said.
Alok Deepankar, Member (Technical) at NHAI, reviewed the pollution-control measures and directed field teams to ensure full deployment of equipment, manpower and water sprinkling, the statement said. He also asked for regular operation of anti-smog guns and daily mechanical sweeping.
Deepankar emphasised strict compliance with norms set by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in Delhi-NCR, which require covering construction material, maintaining dust-free road surfaces and intensifying measures according to the applicable stage of the Graded Response Action Plan, NHAI said. Officials have been directed to monitor the work daily and submit progress reports with geo-tagged photographs.
NHAI said it planted around 9.80 lakh saplings in the National Capital Region during 2025-26, against a target of 9.52 lakh, achieving survival rates of over 90 per cent. It also said around 13.58 lakh tonnes of inert material from Delhi's landfill sites have been used in embankment construction for the UER-II and DND-Sohna corridors.
The review also covered major decongestion projects, including UER-II, the Dwarka Expressway, the DND-Sohna Expressway and the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, which NHAI said are helping reduce traffic congestion and vehicular emissions in Delhi-NCR. The authority said it is also working to speed up pending decongestion projects and resolve public complaints received through the Green Delhi app and social media.