Fighting Our Killer Air - A Citizens' Charter
  • Home/
  • Delhi Smog Towers Not Effective In Reducing Air Pollution, Tribunal Told

Delhi Smog Towers Not Effective In Reducing Air Pollution, Tribunal Told

Delhi Smog Towers Not Effective In Reducing Air Pollution, Tribunal Told
The Connaught Place smog tower was again made operational last week (File)
New Delhi: 

Two experimental smog towers in the city have not been effective in reducing air pollution and the operation of these costly giant air purifiers lacks merit, the Delhi Smog Towers Not Effective In Reducing Air Pollution, Tribunal Told (DPCC) has told the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

In a report submitted to the NGT last week, the pollution control body emphasised that smog towers cannot be a "practical solution" to the air pollution problem and the two such structures in Delhi should be re-purposed for the "dissemination of technical information on air pollution control as a museum".

In the report, DPCC's senior scientist Nandita Moitra said the Rs 25-crore smog tower at Connaught Place, operational for two years, can only mitigate air pollution by up to 17 percent within a 100-metre radius.

Considering Delhi's vast area of 1,483 square kilometers, the pollution control body said the city would need more than 47,000 such towers, with each costing Rs 25 crore for installation and requiring Rs 15 lakh monthly for operation and maintenance.

Reduction of pollution by just 17 percent within a 100-metre radius at a capital cost of Rs 25 crore and a recurring cost of Rs 10 to 15 lakh per month is "not at all justified. It is not even a drop in the ocean", the DPCC report said.

It said both towers were experimental and the results are not at all encouraging to incur the heavy expenditure from public funds.

Sources in the central government said last week that smog towers are not a solution to the air pollution problem in Delhi-NCR and the Centre is not in favour of installing more giant air purifiers.

The two smog towers -- one at Connaught Place under the DPCC and another at Anand Vihar under the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) -- were installed in 2021 following the Supreme Court's directions.

The Connaught Place smog tower was temporarily shut down due to "unilateral" directions issued by DPCC's Ashwani Kumar, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai had claimed earlier.

The Connaught Place smog tower was again made operational last week following directions from the top court.

According to the CPCB's data, the smog tower at Anand Vihar reduced PM2.5 concentration by up to 17 percent and PM10 pollution levels by up to 27 percent in a 100-metre radius during the 2021-22 winter season.

The Delhi government said last year that the Connaught Place smog tower could reduce air pollution by 70 to 80 percent within a radius of 50 meters and by 15 to 20 percent up to 300 meters.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Share this story on

Latest Stories

................................ Advertisement ................................

Latest Videos

Opinion

  • Opinion | Why Indians Have Just Given Up On Air Pollution Crisis

    Opinion | Why Indians Have Just Given Up On Air Pollution CrisisTanushree Ganguly

    Friday December 20, 2024

    While some may argue that people in Delhi are now more aware of air pollution than they were a decade back, my rebuttal would be that awareness does not mean that people are concerned.

  • Opinion | You Must Outrage Over Filthy Air More Than Once A Year

    Opinion | You Must Outrage Over Filthy Air More Than Once A YearJyoti Pande Lavakare

    Tuesday December 10, 2024

    Delhi welcomed us with monsoon rains and mangos. We were home. Fast forward a couple of years, in the winter of 2012, I found myself in denial about something other parents, mostly expats, were calling toxic air.

  • Opinion | Delhi's Air Pollution Situation Is Like A Bad Marriage

    Opinion | Delhi's Air Pollution Situation Is Like A Bad MarriageNishtha Gautam

    Friday November 22, 2024

    On a good day, such as today, the AQI reading in Delhi is 407. We are jubilant at the sickly sunshine trickling through the slightly dissipated smog. At least its not 1600.

  • दिवाली... पराली... सियासी जुगाली!

    दिवाली... पराली... सियासी जुगाली!Ashwini kumar

    Monday November 18, 2024

    दिल्ली-एनसीआर में प्रदूषण का समाधान तो आज तक मिला नहीं. हर साल चिंतित होकर हम-आप सांसों की तकलीफ के साथ-साथ दिल और ब्लड प्रेशर के मरीज भी क्यों बनें?

  • घर में कैद बुजुर्ग और हांफते लोग, दिल्ली की सांसों में घुला ये कैसा रोग?

    घर में कैद बुजुर्ग और हांफते लोग, दिल्ली की सांसों में घुला ये कैसा रोग?Nidhi Kulpati

    Friday November 08, 2024

    हमारी हवा जहरीली हो रही है. गुरुवार की शाम को जब मैं इस मुद्दे पर लिखने बैठी तो AQI लगातार 400 पार  जाकर दम घोंट रहा था. बहुत लोगों को यह मामला बोरिंग लगे, लेकिन जब आप अपने साथ काम करने वालों को खांसते-हांफते देखते-सुनते हैं, तो चिंता होने लगती है. सुबह उठते ही दरवाजे खिड़कियां खोलने के लिए डॉक्टर मना कर रहे हैं. बड़े बुजुर्गों के लिए तो मॉर्निंग वॉक बाहर की दुनिया से सीधे संपर्क का ज़रिया है, लेकिन डॉक्टर इसकी भी मनाही कर रहे हैं.