Delhi Government Reviews On-Ground Sanitation Efforts During City-Wide Cleanliness Drive

The Delhi government launched a comprehensive city-wide cleanliness drive on Saturday, December 6, 2025, targeting waste accumulation, debris removal, and dust pollution to improve air quality and public health across the national capital. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta led the initiative by participating at Khyber Pass Chowk in Civil Lines, where she reviewed on-ground sanitation efforts, inspected dust-control measures, and emphasised the need for swift action to clear roadsides and hotspots. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa also joined, conducting inspections in Saidulajab ward and along IGNOU Road to ensure compliance with directives on garbage clearance and pollution mitigation. The drive comes amid Delhi's persistent struggle with poor air quality, where the Air Quality Index (AQI) has hovered in the "very poor" category for weeks, exacerbated by winter inversions, vehicular emissions, and construction dust.

The campaign's immediate focus is on intensive inspections three days a week to empty dustbins, remove legacy waste, and dismantle accumulated debris, with the Public Works Department (PWD) spearheading removals based on data gathered over the past seven to eight months. From next week, the effort will expand to include rigorous monitoring of industrial units and construction sites, cracking down on violations that contribute to dust pollution. Officials have been instructed to eliminate any negligence in roadside cleaning or garbage management, with a zero-tolerance policy for lapses. Public participation is being encouraged through the MCD 311 and Green Delhi mobile apps, allowing citizens to report unclean areas for prompt resolution, fostering a collaborative approach to urban sanitation.

Gupta, addressing the gathering at Khyber Pass, highlighted the drive's role in transforming Delhi into a "clean, safe, and healthy" city, aligning with broader environmental goals to lower AQI levels before the peak winter fog sets in. Sirsa reinforced this by issuing on-site orders to municipal teams, stressing that dust suppression through water sprinkling and mechanised sweeping must become routine. The initiative builds on recent PWD surveys identifying over 500 pollution hotspots, including flyovers, markets, and underpasses, where debris has piled up due to rapid urbanisation and inadequate waste segregation.

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Delhi's air pollution crisis, routinely ranking among the world's worst, has seen AQI levels exceed 300 in November 2025, prompting emergency measures like school closures and odd-even vehicle rationing. This cleanliness drive represents a proactive step beyond reactive odd-season bans, integrating technology-driven monitoring with community involvement to address root causes like open dumping and construction lapses. Experts note that while short-term gains are expected, sustained success will require interagency coordination and enforcement against violators.

As teams fanned out across all 272 municipal wards, the launch signals a renewed commitment from the AAP-led administration to environmental stewardship, especially with the 2026 assembly elections on the horizon. Gupta's hands-on involvement, donning a reflective vest and wielding a broom symbolically, underscores the government's messaging: pollution control is a shared civic duty.

With real-time tracking via apps and weekly progress reports mandated for ministers, the drive aims to set a benchmark for urban cleanliness in India's megacities, potentially inspiring similar initiatives in polluted hubs like Mumbai and Kolkata.

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