Indian construction standards improve
Published on 08/04/2015
Construction work always causes waste products such as dust. However, in some areas this has become an issue of public health. India has recently found that its construction sites are creating a large amount of air pollution, and a recent series of articles has criticised the government for allowing this to happen.
Published in the Indian Express, the articles look at the many causes of air pollution in India's cities, specifically Delhi. They quickly caused controversy, however the Indian government has just as speedily taken action. The next two weeks will see a range of new regulations coming into effect in the Indian construction industry.
These are generally thought to be good news for the construction industry overall, as improved environmental standards look likely to lead to more international investment. Here are the regulations that India will bring in, and the effects they will likely have on the industry as a whole.
The Air Quality Index
First of all, India is launching an Air Quality Index to inform citizens about how much pollution is in the atmosphere around them. This is based off the concentration of six pollutants, weighed against the average amounts found in air. The index goes from a score of one to 500, and is colour-coded from green to red.
A green rating (or a score of between one and 50) is considered 'good', and is characterised by minimal hazards. Anything from 401 to 500 is a red rating, or 'severe', and is capable of causing respiratory problems in the healthy. For context, New Delhi's score (as of 4:00PM on April 6th) is 211.
The index has so far been launched in ten cities, including Agra, Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai. However, it will soon be brought to all cities in India with a population of over one million.
New rules regulating construction dust
One of the main causes of this pollution is the dust from construction sites. India's government is therefore taking steps to reduce the amount of this pollutant that gets released into the air.
India's environment minister Prakash Javadekar said: "Construction waste is a big contributor to air pollution in Delhi. We will bring in rules within the next 15 days." To achieve this, the environment ministers of all the state governments met on April 6th and 7th.
Part of the solution will be found by looking at areas of India that are able to safely manage the amount of construction dust created, such as Delhi Metro. Raising awareness will also be necessary, as many construction managers admitted they had no understanding of any rules governing construction dust.
What effects will this have on Indian construction?
At the moment, it is unclear what measures will be brought in to improve the situation regarding construction dust in Indian cities. However, whatever happens it is likely that it will have positive effects for the nation's construction industry. The unclean air in its urban areas is no secret, so the government's commitment to fixing this problem will be received positively.
Cleaner construction projects are more likely to be viewed as beneficial to the surrounding area, and therefore more likely to attract investment. The sole negative is that dust prevention measures may cost the building industry, however the price of cleaning up India's air is likely to be cheaper than many may expect.
Plenty of the regulations already in place are simple and cost-effective, such as keeping a tarpaulin over dust sources. The cost will be shouldered not by the industry but by the government, which will need to raise awareness of these existing rules and make sure they are enforced.