NEW DELHI: The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi has set up a giant filtration unit to combat air pollution. This unit has been set near shopping areas, which sucks polluted air and breathes out filtered air. This step has been taken as a solution to treat air pollution in the Capital.
In January 2020, the Supreme Court directed the Delhi government to install smog towers – one at Anand vihar, which has an Inter State Bus Terminal, and the second at Connaught Place, the shopping area in the heart of the city. This came after a study by Greenpeace Southeast Asia reported that air pollution was to blame for an estimated 54,000 premature deaths in New Delhi in 2020. “This is a big step by Delhi government in its fight against air pollution,” Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister, Delhi, said. Indian Institute of Technology at Bombay and Delhi have been tasked to assess the effectiveness of the smog towers.
It is possible that more towers could be built if the one being installed passes the pilot test. However, some climate experts have questioned the utility of smog towers. “Installing smog towers has never been and will never be a solution. If we want to address the issue of air pollution, it has to be addressed at the source,” said Sunil Dahiya, analyst with the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.