The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has begun field trials of 70 imported mechanical road sweepers that are scheduled to be deployed across the capital by the middle of November to remove road dust and help manage winter pollution. The fleet includes 55 electric machines and 15 CNG-powered machines imported from Italy and London.
The approximately 10-day trial is examining the machines’ cleaning capacity, brushes, vacuum systems and sensors under different operating conditions. The testing is being conducted by the International Centre for Automotive Technology, or ICAT, and the MCD will take the final operational decision after receiving its report.
MCD Commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar inspected the field trials on Thursday. Officials said the machines are also being tested in Manesar, where locations with different levels of dust are being used to assess their performance. Manesar was selected because the agency conducting the trial has a centre there.
The new equipment is intended to expand daily sweeping on roads managed by the Public Works Department that are more than 60 feet wide. These roads are currently cleaned on alternate days, but the MCD plans to shift to daily cleaning once the new machines are deployed. The civic body’s total mechanical sweeping fleet is expected to reach 140 machines after the additions.
According to MCD officials, the imported machines have been modified for Indian operating conditions. They include cameras, brush sensors and other equipment intended to remove dust and debris from road surfaces and edges more effectively. Their software will also allow operators to check whether the vacuum system is functioning and whether the machine is operating properly during cleaning.
The 55 electric machines have a capacity of two cubic metres each, while the 15 CNG machines have a capacity of approximately six cubic metres. The MCD had previously been using domestically manufactured machines, but officials said the imported equipment was brought in to complete the sweeping work more quickly and effectively.
The trials are significant because road dust is one of the operational challenges faced by Delhi’s civic agencies during periods of high pollution. Mechanical sweeping is intended to reduce the amount of dust left on heavily used roads, but the immediate rollout will depend on the performance assessment and approval process. The MCD has stated that its plan is to deploy the machines on Delhi’s roads from the middle of November.