Anti-air pollution towers to remove deadly particles
NEWDELHI: The Delhi government on Friday installed an ‘anti-pollution tower’ under the Indraprastha Marg flyover, near ITO, to fight air pollution that reach alarming levels, especially during the winter months.
The anti-pollution tower is fitted with exhaust fans to suck in polluted air. A machine inside the tower then removes nearly 90% of the particulate matter, helping to bring down pollution levels and spews fresh air out.
Officials said that if the pilot project is successful then more such machines would be installed.
“At least six to seven more such anti-pollution towers will be set up at different locations of the city to curb air pollution, especially at busy traffic intersections. Once the trial is completed the government will decide future course of action,” a government spokesman said.
Officials said Xian, in Shaanxi province of China, too had installed such towers earlier this year. They are being tested by researchers at the Institute of Earth Environment at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Similar efforts have also been taken up in Poland, where a smog tower is being installed at Krakow.
“Such purifiers are known to work indoors. But in a city like Delhi, where pollution levels are high, weather dynamic and sources of pollution multiple, such devices won’t achieve the desired results. We have to be more serious on cutting down pollution at the source,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy) at Centre for Science and Environment.
The state environment department had earlier experimented with anti-smog guns, which had failed to create any difference in pollution levels. The CPCB had given an adverse report against such guns.
Delhi environment minister Imran Hussain in a statement said that effectiveness of anti-pollution tower devices would be monitored and the results obtained will be evaluated for checking the efficacy and utility of the machines.
The device has been developed by Maharashtra-based startup company Pi Greentech Solutions. The company had tied up with the Delhi government to install the device, which is around 5 ft tall and two ft wide, and works on ‘Carbon Cutter Machine’ principle, in the city.
“Carbon Cutter Machine (CCM) captures over 90% of all particulate matter and stores it in a separate container. CCM breaks particulate matter to the last bit and converts it into a usable residue. Trials were earlier conducted in Pune, which were successful,” said Irfan Pathan, chief executive officer of Pi Greentech Solutions.