Proposal to sprinkle water from choppers ‘impractical’

Environmentalists have termed the Delhi government’s proposal to sprinkle water from choppers or any other aircraft across the city to arrest dust pollution, as an “impractical” approach.

Speaking to The Sunday Guardian, Anumita Roychowdhury, Project Director at the Centre for Science and Environment, said, “It is an impractical approach and we are not even looking at it. These kinds of fancy and expensive approaches are just a distraction. We are already living in a water-starved city, how are we going to get so much water? Moreover, how much can we keep doing this in a large and densely populated city like Delhi? And in winters when the wind is in inversion, such an act could further trap moisture in the air, worsening the situation.”

Roychowdhury added: “There are already several measures which have to be identified to arrest dust pollution and some even at the source. So instead of distracting people, the government of Delhi should implement the existing pollution laws with strictness.”

The Delhi government wrote to the Centre on Monday requesting it for helicopters or any other aircraft to sprinkle water to settle the dust pollution, which is one of the main causes of pollution in the city, contributing the largest to PM (particulate matter) 2.5.

Delhi’s Environment Minister Imran Hussain had written to the Union Environment Minister and his counterpart Dr Harsh Vardhan on the issue of dust pollution, but the letter had no details as to how the Delhi government was planning to execute the sprinkling of water. However, the Delhi government had said that the expenses would be borne by the city government.

Environmentalists and air pollution experts have asked the city government to focus on what they have at hand to mitigate pollution.

Roychowdhury said: “To control dust pollution, like many other countries have done, we need to arrest the dust at source. Soft and hard paving of areas which are exposed to dust is one of the methods; vegetative barriers, like planting of tress, green carpeting with grass, mechanical sweeping, sprinkling of recycled water through small sprinklers at adverse regions and installation of fountains at major intersections are the approaches the government should focus on. The EPCA [Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority] has already presented an emergency plan, while (formulating) the Comprehensive Action plan is in the process.”

Last October, the AAP government had announced a plan to put in place a three-tier air treatment system, including setting up of wind purification units, mist fountains and virtual chimneys at five major traffic intersections on a trial basis.

However, these proposals have not seen much progress in terms of implementation. Even the proposal to install large outdoor air purifiers have not seen much of a progress in the city.

The Delhi government had created a air ambience fund in 2008 and reportedly collected over Rs 240 crore until last year. Apart from this, the green tax fund collected from trucks entering Delhi is also reported to be staying unused. These funds were meant to be used for controlling air pollution in the city, but little seems to have been done on the ground.

Multiple calls made to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), which maintains the corpus fund, went unanswered. In the recent meeting between Rajnath Singh and Mehbooba Mufti, the Union Home Minister asked the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister to work for the rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Pandits and ensure packages for the Pakistani refugees living in Jammu, the BJP’s J&K unit leaders told The Sunday Guardian, dismissing reports that the discussions had taken place only on the steps taken to consolidate the political process.

“The PDP has been dodging the issue of rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Pandits and giving them government jobs. They have also stalled the process of providing packages to Pakistani refugees in Jammu. Now the dialogue process has started and Mehbooba Mufti will have to walk the talk,” a senior BJP leader and state Cabinet minister told this reporter. He disclosed that during the latest meeting between Singh and Mufti, the latter was told to implement