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Pollution patrol: Road RADAR surveyors begin Delhi dust-monitoring drive
Delhi's Road RADAR program inducted 13 government surveyors to map roadside pollution. Gourav Sonkaria logged 81 pollution aberrations during a Saturday field survey using the 311 app and geotagged photos. The drive aims to tackle localised dust along Delhi's 18,000 km of roads in real time.
Why It Matters
Real-time logging of roadside pollution helps agencies identify and address dust sources quickly, potentially reducing health and environmental impacts in Delhi.
Timeline
2 Events
Field survey day under Road RADAR: initial logging and observations
May 9, 2026
HT accompanied Sonkaria on Saturday morning as he conducted an eight-hour field survey to log sources of roadside pollution along Delhi's roads. He started from his residence around 5:30 AM and reached the designated start point around 6:30 AM to begin the exercise. The first stop was at 6:37 AM on GT Karnal Road on the Shakti Nagar side, where a pile of municipal solid waste attracting cattle and a mound of C&D waste were observed. He opened the 311 app, photographed and tagged the pollution sources, taking wide-frame shots to help officials identify the area. The photos were geotagged, and landmarks were identified to facilitate redressal. Throughout the day, he logged 81 aberrations in the app. The programme aims to tackle dust pollution and other localised sources along nearly 18,000 km of roads in Delhi, enabling real-time action by agencies.
Induction into Road RADAR programme
May 8, 2026
Gourav Sonkaria was inducted as one of 13 government surveyors under the Road RADAR (Real-time Air Pollution Detection Across Roads) programme.