Delhi Govt Decides To Set Up Smog Towers To Tackle Air Pollution: Here's How It Works
In a bid to control air pollution, Delhi government has decided to set-up a Rs 20-crore 'smog tower' in Connaught Place, announced Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday. He said the tower will come up in 10 months. This tower will suck the air from the top and release filtered air near the ground, the CM said.?
Tower can remove up to 80% of PM (2.5 and 10)
It is believed that the tower will be fitted with exhaust fans to suck in polluted air and remove up to 80% of the particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM10) -- the primary pollutant in Delhi¡¯s air. Spread across an area of 1.80 square kilometres, lakhs of people visit Connaught Place on a daily basis.??The Rajiv Chawk metro station located at the centre of the area alone has an average daily footfall of over 5 lakh.
Earlier too, in January, Delhi¡¯s first smog tower came up at Lajpat Nagar central market. The 20ft tall air purifying tower cleans air 500 to 750 metres around itself and costs Rs 7 Lakh.?But the question remains, will these smog towers help fight the air pollution that engulfs the capital year after year??
Experts doubt effectiveness of smog towers?
However, experts are unsure of the effectiveness of solitary smog towers spread few and far in-between Delhi-NCR. "This is pseudoscience the Supreme Court believes in. There is no scientific evidence that says smog towers actually help. If smog towers are the solution, we will need lakhs and lakhs of smog towers," says activist and Swechha Founder Vimlendu Jha.?
India took the decision of installing smog towers following China¡¯s footsteps, but experts say China is implementing strong pollution control rules across sectors, which India hasn¡¯t. "Beijing fixed its problem of high pollution levels by also looking at industries, public transport and pushing bicycles. Visually, the tower looks appealing, that it will engulf all the pollutants, but that is not the reality," adds Jha.?
Environmentalist Jai Dhar Gupta observes that "Smog towers have failed everywhere in the world. There is no reason it will work here. They (SC) are pretending to put forth a solution that is not even a solution." Smog towers can solve problems very small areas around them, but not the whole city, says Sumit Sharma, Director, Earth Science and Climate Change Division, TERI. "It will only act upon the air in its vicinity of a few 100 metres."
Pollution on the rise
As of today, Delhi recorded a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 235, which falls in the "poor" category.?An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".??
With annual stubble burning and nearing festive season, the pollution is only expected to rise. What remains to be seen is, if the already installed smog towers have enough efficacy?
