In a first, Delhi government on Friday announced a three-tier air treatment system which includes setting up of wind purification units, mist fountains and virtual chimney at five major traffic intersections on trial basis to deal with rising air pollution in city.
The air treatment system has potential to reduce carbon monoxide and particulate emission by 40%-60% emission in 20-30 m radius during peak hours of traffic, Government sources claimed.
Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain, who is also the head of Delhi Task Force formed to formulate policy to curb air pollution, said the government in collaboration with National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and IIT (Bombay) set up the entire system within 45 days. He said that air purifiers will be installed at five major traffic intersections – Anand Vihar, ITO, Sarai Kalen Khan, Kashmere Gate and IIT (Delhi) or AIIMS.
This is for the first time that the city administration has taken such steps to bring down rising air pollution in the city. The announcement comes after Jain held a meeting with NEERI Director Rakesh Kumar. IIT (Bombay) has also been engaged by NEERI for design and solutions.
Pollutant-loaded air continued to hang heavy in the national capital ahead of Diwali, when pollution is likely to peak, prompting authorities to urge residents to refrain from bursting firecrackers which they said emit cancer-causing smoke.
“We also plan to install a mist fountain at one intersection. We can bring down PM 2.5 and PM 10 in the air by using mist fountain. ,” Jain told reporters in Delhi.
He said that in Pune, air purifiers have been installed where there have been good results and they can be set up at the central verge of the roads.
“Air treatment system will in place one-and-a-half months. The system will help bring down air pollution in Delhi in winter months as pollution is at its peak in December and January,” said a senior government official.
The minister has appealed the residents of Delhi not to burst firecrackers in Delhi to make the city’s air clean.
Nearly all the monitoring stations active in the city, cutting across agencies, had PM 2.5 and PM 10 (ultrafine pollutants) several times above the safe limit of 60 and 100 micrograms per cubic metre, keeping the air in the very poor category.
For the second consecutive day, pollutants (PM 10) in Anand Vihar shot up nine times above the safe limit when checked in real-time around 12 PM as per the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).
Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Punjabi Bagh, RK Puram stations had AQI in the severe category which affects healthy people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases.
Feature image source: PTI/File Photo