Smog tower in Connaught Place improves air quality by 10-15% within 500-m radius, it is learnt. Other measures by MCD & Delhi govt to to mitigate pollutants also falling short.
The 2 smog towers — one in Connaught Place and the other in Anand Vihar — became functional in September. Delhi Environment Minister said the towers filter out 80% of particulate matter in the air.
A smog tower installed near the Shivaji Stadium Metro station by the Delhi govt has been touted by it as the first in India. But there are already such towers in India.
Tata Consultancy will be responsible for installing smog towers, which are air purifiers, while National Buildings Construction Corporation will construct them.
Supreme Court order to install smog towers in Delhi can be an experiment, but engineering solutions are just band-aid. The real problem is state capacity.
Countering insurgency needs the Pakistan Army to demonstrate a political will that ties leaders at the centre with those in the borderlands. But it may not have the imagination.
Centre for Science and Environment in new report makes case for rationalising GST on waste material, saying most informal operators can’t afford high tax & it also hinders recycling.
21st edition of annual joint military exercise will be held from 1 to 16 September, aimed at sharing military tech, operational best practices & disaster relief coordination methods.
Standing up to America is usually not a personal risk for a leader in India. Any suggestions of foreign pressure unites India behind who they see as leading them in that fight.
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