At Central Park Resorts in Gurugram’s Sector 48, an autorickshaw and an e-rickshaw crawl along internal avenues, spraying fine water mist into the air. High above, anti-smog guns operate from the rooftops.For Capt. Sanjiv Yadav, an Indian Air Force veteran who lives in one of the condominium’s four-BHK apartments, these measures are a daily reminder of how little even a home worth upwards of Rs 20 crore can shield him from the hazardous grey smog outside.“There is a peculiar sense of helplessness in working hard to build a good life, investing your hard-earned money into a home, and then realising that you have absolutely no control over the environment you are forced to live in,” Yadav said.“We have invested in our homes, but who is investing in the quality of life outside them? It is unacceptable that citizens should have to spend money on air purifiers, seal their homes and constantly worry about their health simply because the most fundamental civic responsibility of ensuring breathable air is not being met.”That frustration is increasingly being felt across Gurugram’s upscale residential enclaves along Sohna Road and Golf Course Extension Road.Much like the monsoon waterlogging crisis when luxury condominiums were cut off by flooded arterial roads, residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) and developers are now attempting to engineer their own private micro-climates. They are purchasing anti-smog equipment, running treated sewage water through mist cannons, and deploying custom-fitted vehicles to wash down trees and internal avenues.But with air quality index (AQI) levels in the ‘very poor’ to near-‘severe’ bracket across official monitoring stations like Sector 51, Teri Gram, and Vikas Sadan in the city, the limits of private spending have become glaringly obvious.Story continues below this adAccording to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) data, Gurugram’s daily 24-hour average AQI stood at 345 on Friday (November 7) and 288 on Saturday (November 8), before rising to 345 on Sunday (November 9) and 324 on Monday (November 10).Sprinklers, mist cannons run through the dayAt Rising Homes society in Sector 92, where flats range between Rs 2 crore and Rs 4 crore, residents took matters into their own hands four years ago.Praveen Malik, RWA president and a businessman, said the society invested Rs 2.5 lakh to link its Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) to a network of sprinklers along boundary green belts.Crews spray the grounds from 10 am to 4 pm, and again from 3 pm to 8 pm. Following Diwali, the RWA added two extra hours to the daily spraying schedule.Story continues below this adMalik said the measure was born out of complete exhaustion with municipal authorities. “Everyone is fed up. Look at the huge mounds of construction sand and unpaved dust that sit unattended along every major approach road,” he said.At Vipul Greens on Sohna Road, where 4BHK units cost around Rs 4.5 crore and larger apartments fetch up to Rs 8 crore, the RWA has added pollution curbing efforts to maintenance charges.“We use anti-smog guns, rooftop sprinklers that have been running all day since Diwali, and dust compression units at the base of trees,” said Amit Jindal, RWA president and a businessman.The condominium’s walking tracks, usually packed with morning walkers and marathon runners, lie completely deserted, he said. Outdoor exercise has ceased, with residents confining themselves to the indoor community clubhouse.Story continues below this ad“This happens every year,” Jindal said, pointing out that even with round-the-clock washing, nobody risks stepping out into the open courtyard.At Central Park, an official from the condominium’s management team said the society received a Rs 4 crore free contribution from the promoter five years ago, which went towards an expenditure of Rs 8 lakh per tower for water sprinklers.During the summer months, maintenance crews operate misting systems at 6 am and 6 pm, venturing outside thrice a day to wet the central green verge on Sohna Road. With pollution surging in recent days, the anti-smog guns operate through the day, now activated at 4 am and running for 15 minutes every hour.Developers pitch inElsewhere in the city, private developers and large township managements are allocating substantial funds to implement estate-wide anti-pollution protocols.Story continues below this adIn DLF City (Phases 1-4), the management has earmarked a “sizeable budget” for winter mitigation.Nitya Mohan, Head of Facility Management at DLF City, told The Indian Express, “Our priority this winter is to tackle pollution at source. That means clearing dust and silt before traffic lifts it back into the air, controlling dust at construction sites, and acting on open burning and illegal dumping.”Under their winter programme, estate teams have deployed mechanised sweepers to clear silt from internal corridors, combined with water sprinkling and misting along stretches identified as major dust contributors.On the construction front, inspection squads have been tasked with monitoring building sites for mandated barricades, dust screens, and covered stockpiles, alongside enforcing work suspensions ordered under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).Story continues below this adSecurity patrols have also been directed to check for roadside dumping, uncovered debris transport, and the burning of horticultural waste and dry leaves.Mohan noted that while estate teams log inspections and initiate internal action, violations or dust hotspots identified on roads and land under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) or the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) are being referred to the respective civic bodies.