Delhi approves EV sweepers and IIT-Delhi
The Delhi government has approved a year-round pollution control plan, funding 30 electric road sweepers and a real-time source-tracking system developed
The Delhi Cabinet has approved two coordinated initiatives to strengthen year-round pollution control: deploying 30 electric road sweepers and launching a real-time pollution source identification system with IIT-Delhi. The decisions, chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on 30 September 2026, aim to move beyond seasonal measures. The government intends to continue pollution-control actions throughout the year, not only in winter.
Gupta said the two measures would complement each other, with mechanised cleaning strengthening action on the ground and real-time source apportionment providing scientific inputs for policymaking and enforcement. The government is working continuously and scientifically on pollution sources throughout the year.
Electric sweepers to target road dust on smaller roads
Thirty electric vehicle-based mechanical road sweepers will be deployed on 609km of smaller roads across 250 wards to reduce road dust without adding emissions. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will receive a grant from the Delhi government to procure and operate the machines. Road dust is considered a significant contributor to particulate pollution in Delhi.
The plan targets approximately 609 km of roads with a right of way under 10 metres, covering 854 roads in 250 wards. The estimated cost for the 30 electric sweepers is about ₹393.73 crore over ten years.
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Number of Sweepers | 30 EV-based mechanical road sweepers |
| Road Length Covered | 609 km |
| Road Right of Way | Less than 10 metres |
| Number of Roads | 854 |
| Wards Covered | 250 |
| Total Estimated Cost | ₹393.73 crore (over 10 years) |
Real-time pollution source tracking to be developed with IIT-Delhi
A five-year collaboration with IIT-Delhi will establish a real-time system to identify and analyse PM2.5 and PM10 sources throughout the day, supporting targeted interventions. The project, estimated to cost around ₹19.22 crore, will analyse contributions from vehicular emissions, road dust and biomass burning.
The system will help authorities identify pollution hotspots and strengthen targeted interventions. It will reactivate the existing super site at Rouse Avenue for scientific operations and restart a mobile laboratory for targeted studies. This new data will replace outdated source-apportionment studies from 2016 and 2018.
Pollution-control measures would continue throughout the year and cover road dust, vehicular emissions, construction and demolition dust, industrial pollution, waste and biomass burning, besides increasing green cover and strengthening enforcement. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stated the government is "adopting a scientific approach to tackle pollution, rather than treating it as a problem limited to the winter months."
Departments, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), MCD, and scientific institutions will work together to address different pollution sources, with public participation forming an important part of the strategy.
