New Delhi, Feb. 13 -- Road dust and construction account for between 14% and 58% of air pollutants across cities, the Union environment ministry told the Rajya Sabha, citing an unspecified number of source apportionment studies for an unspecified number of cities. The ministry's response points to one of the major sources of air pollution across the country, arising from unpaved roads and pavements, and unregulated construction, but exacerbated, in cities such as Delhi, by desertification and desert winds. The other sources mentioned by the ministry in the Rajya Sabha are vehicular emissions (10-33%), industrial sources including thermal power plants (8-34%), and waste/biomass burning (8-29%). The data was shared by Kirti Vardhan Singh, min...