Dusty roads, missing footpaths and your air: what the studies say and how to report it

1. How much of Delhi's dust pollution comes from roads?

Numbers vary by study and season. Be careful: some figures are emissions inventories; others are concentrations from modelling.

• IIT Kanpur's 2016 study for Delhi (DPCC) estimated road dust at 56% of annual PM10 emissions in its emissions inventory (emissions, not concentrations). (IIT Kanpur, Comprehensive Study on Air Pollution and GHGs in Delhi, 2016)
• TERI and ARAI's 2018 source-apportionment study found dust overall (road dust, construction, soil and others) contributed 25–41% of Delhi's PM10 by dispersion modelling and 31–43% by receptor modelling across seasons; road dust alone was about 8% and construction 6% of Delhi's winter PM10. Dust matters more for coarse PM10 than for fine PM2.5. (TERI press release, Aug 2018; full report)

Plain-language takeaway: dust is a real, big part of PM10, but it is one of several sources (vehicles, industry, burning too). Fixing streets helps; it is not the whole answer.

2. What a proper footpath is supposed to look like in India

The Indian Roads Congress guideline IRC:103-2022 (Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities, Second Revision, June 2022) says footpaths must be provided on all street types where vehicle speeds exceed 15 km/h, recommends a clear walking zone of at least 2 m (so two wheelchairs can pass), a clear height of 2.4 m, and a frontage/dead zone buffer of at least 0.5 m. It splits a footpath into a walking zone, a frontage zone and a multi-utility zone. (IRC:103-2022)

3. What's in force right now in Delhi-NCR

CAQM invoked Stage I of GRAP across NCR on 21 Oct 2026 after Delhi's AQI hit 244–245 ('Poor'). Stage I has 25 actions, including covered storage and transport of construction material, water sprinkling and anti-smog guns at sites, and periodic mechanised sweeping and water sprinkling on roads with proper disposal of the collected dust. (PIB, 21 Oct 2026; CAQM order dated 21 Oct 2026)

4. Report it (Delhi-NCR)

• Green Delhi app / portal (Govt of NCT of Delhi): report dust, waste burning and other pollution with a map pin and photos; complaints are routed to the right department (MCD, PWD, Delhi Police, DJB, Transport). Portal. Context: PTI via NewsDrum, 24 Apr 2026.
• MCD 311 app: for malba (debris) dumping, potholes, garbage and similar civic issues; an MCD circular dated 24 Aug 2023 asks zones to resolve complaints within 24 hours and upload a photo after fixing. (MCD circular)
• CPCB air pollution complaint form for Delhi-NCR has categories including 'Road Dust' and 'Unpaved Road/Pit'. (CPCB form)
• Outside Delhi: use your city corporation's official complaint app or helpline.