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.
China patiently invested capital, skill and technology in coal gasification. Unlike it, we won’t move from words to action. As crude prices decline, we lose interest.
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