To win the fight against pollution, the Delhi government has formed interdepartmental teams to improve air quality at the 13 air pollution hotspots in the national capital, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday.

He made the comments after holding a crucial joint meeting with the officials of all concerned departments on ways to reduce air pollution in the city.

The 13 identified hotspots are Narela, Bawana, Mundka, Wazirpur, Rohini, RK Puram, Okhla, Jahangirpuri, Anand Vihar, Punjabi Bagh, Mayapuri and Dwarka. These hotspots were identified based on the annual average concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in these areas.

At a press conference, Rai said specific action plans have been developed to identify and mitigate local sources of air pollution, with the goal of achieving an immediate improvement in air quality.

He said 60 anti-smog guns have been installed in the 13 hotspots to reduce dust pollution.

The minister said an inventory of pollution sources reveals that construction work, emissions from diesel vehicles, broken roads, and traffic congestion are the primary reasons for poor air quality at Anand Vihar.

Similarly, teams have been established to address pollution resulting from biomass burning and broken roads in Ashok Vihar.

The minister also highlighted that dumping of waste, construction projects, and traffic congestion are major contributors to pollution in Bawana.

In Mundka, road construction and traffic congestion significantly impact air quality, he said.

In Dwarka, road dust, broken roads and illegal burning of garbage are major contributors to air pollution, Rai said.

In Jahangirpuri, major sources of pollution are biomass burning, heavy traffic movement, road dust, construction sites and broken roads.

Such issues exist in Narela, Okhla, Punjabi Bagh, RK Puram, Rohini, Vivek Vihar and Wazipur hotspots, Rai said.