On paper, Delhi is controlling its dust. On the ground, it isn’t

According to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), dust accounts for 15% to 27% of Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution, depending on the season. 

For PM10, road dust, construction activity, and soil-derived particles can contribute as much as 58%. A significant portion of Delhi’s toxic air, in other words, comes from the dust on and around our roads.

This dust doesn’t stay on the road surface, as passing vehicles churn it up and send it back into the air. Construction sites and piles of exposed soil left along roadsides add to it. Mixed with vehicular emissions, they make the air worse still.

In June 2021, the CAQM (Commission for Air Quality Management) directed relevant agencies in Delhi-NCR and neighbouring states to establish ‘Dust Control and Management Cells’ and drew up a 10-point framework for dust control.

These cells were tasked with overseeing mechanical road sweeping, water sprinkling, and the scientific disposal of collected dust. 

Eleven such cells were initially set up in Delhi, 11 in Uttar Pradesh, two in Haryana, and eight in Rajasthan; Delhi’s count later rose to 12. In February 2026, the CAQM issued new standards for mechanical road sweeping.

But what impact have these directives had on the ground? To find out, we visited two areas in Delhi – Mehrauli and Rohini.

Watch our ground report.

This report is part of a collaborative campaign to tackle air pollution. Here’s how you can join the Fight To Breathe. Click here to power this campaign.