The interaction was organised under the campaign 'Saaf Hawa mein Hissedaari, Hum Sabhi ki hai Zimmedaari' to bridge the gap between policymakers and technology innovators and develop practical solutions that can be deployed on the ground.
Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh and Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa attended the meeting, along with senior officials from various ministries and pollution control agencies.
Strengthening Technology-Enabled Enforcement
Addressing the gathering, Yadav described the engagement as a proactive initiative to strengthen coordination between policymakers and innovators. He said such interactions could bring greater uniformity to policy implementation and improve transparency in governance.
Yadav stressed the need to strengthen technology-enabled enforcement, emphasising that integrating Online Continuous Emission Monitoring System (OCEMS) data with plant-operation data was essential to identify malpractices. He also highlighted the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in detecting violations and improving pollution-monitoring mechanisms.
Nine Key Areas of Air Pollution Management
The discussions covered nine key areas of air pollution management, including industrial emissions, vehicle pollution, construction dust, road dust, crop-residue burning and waste management.
Proposed solutions included AI-enabled systems to identify industrial emission violations, real-time monitoring of diesel generator emission-control devices, tamper-proof pollution-under-control (PUC) testing systems, and technologies to detect and control dust at construction and demolition sites.
AI, Sensors and Satellite Technology for Real-Time Monitoring
Technology innovators presented solutions for hyperlocal air-quality monitoring, city-wide pollution mapping, identification of pollution hotspots, AI-based source apportionment and predictive traffic-congestion management.
Briefing the media, Yadav said the interaction focused on leveraging AI, sensors, remote sensing, satellite and drone-based technologies, and data analytics to improve real-time understanding of air pollution and enable timely interventions.
The technologies showcased during the meeting also included systems for round-the-clock detection of stubble and open biomass burning, along with automated identification of vehicles operating without valid PUC certificates and over-aged vehicles.
Cleaner Transport and Improved Waste Management
Yadav emphasised the importance of city-wide air-quality monitoring, cleaner vehicles and smoother traffic management. He also called for environment-friendly solutions for the scientific management of crop residue, solid waste, and construction and demolition waste.
On crop-residue management, the Union Minister highlighted the need to develop guidelines for paddy straw storage in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). He also stressed the development of an in-situ crop-residue storage model.
The discussions explored ways to connect recycled construction and demolition waste products with demand from the construction sector. Participants also examined integrated systems for collecting, transporting and productively utilising paddy straw for bioenergy, biomass fuel, composting and other value-added products.
Start-ups showcased crop-residue-based materials and biochar-based solutions designed to convert agricultural waste into useful products and reduce the need for open-field burning.
Call for Scalable Solutions Across Delhi-NCR
Yadav called for integrated, scalable and economically viable interventions that could be deployed across Delhi-NCR. He urged innovators to align their technologies with field-level requirements and explore mechanisms for wider implementation and monitoring.
The initiative seeks to bring together government agencies, technology innovators and field-level stakeholders to develop actionable solutions to the region's air pollution challenge, with a focus on translating technological advancements into practical measures for monitoring emissions, enforcing pollution-control norms and improving waste management.
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