New Delhi: Amidst growing concerns about the worsening air quality in the national capital, Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan flagged off five buses on Thursday that are fitted with air-filters which trap the air pollutants, as a pilot project. These buses are meant to carry school children. In the wake of deteriorating air quality of Delhi, this project will be extended to autos and cars and even in the motorcycles, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan asserted. Designed by Faridabad-based Manav Rachna Innovation and Incubation Centre (MRIIC), the project proposes to ply 30 more such buses in Delhi.
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आज मैंने #AirFiltration यंत्र से युक्त 5 बसों को फ्लैग ऑफ किया। #परियायंत्र को @manav_rachna के छात्रों ने तैयार किया है जो #प्रदूषण कम करने में कारगर है।इस पॉयलट प्रोजेक्ट को बाद में कारों,ऑटो व बाइक्स में भी लागू करने की योजना है @Parimukh1 @PMOIndia #CPCB @moefcc #pariyayantra pic.twitter.com/anaBxvwqpq
— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) November 1, 2018
According to developers of MRIIC, air inside the buses will be cleaned through filters called Pariyayantra that are fitted on their roof. These filters do not require any power to operate and are equivalent to filtration provided by six room air-filters. The developers said that these air filter units can be mounted on the roof of any vehicle, including auto-rickshaws and two-wheelers. Professor B.S. Gill, leader of the research team said,
As the vehicle moves, air passes through the holes in front of the device. During experiments, we found the filters can trap up to 98% of the particulate matter
#परियायंत्र 98 फीसदी तक #ParticulateMatter को इकट्ठा कर सकता है। बिना बिजली के चलने वाला यह यंत्र बस की उल्टी दिशा में तेज हवा के साथ आ रहे धूल कणों को फिल्टर कर इकट्ठा करता है। @Parimukh1 @PMOIndia #CPCB @manav_rachna @moefcc #pariyayantra pic.twitter.com/qXC88Tv0ws
— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) November 1, 2018
Mr Vardhan was accompanied by Delhi’s Environment Minister Imran Hussain also launched a 10-day long ‘Clean Air Campaign’. Under this initiative Union Minister Harsh Vardhan along with Minister Imran Hussain formed 52 rapid action teams consisting of over 250 officials from the Ministry, Delhi government and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to control air pollution and check environment-related offences for the next 10 days.
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Of 52 teams, 44 will report to 33 SDMs posted in Delhi. The Ministry officials said that more than one team is being posted at the pollution hotspot, like Rohini and Dwarka. Union Minister Harsh Vardhan sai,
Pollution rises around Diwali and it is important to check it. While many teams of CPCB are already active, 44 additional teams will monitor different regions of Delhi, while 8 teams will be active in NCR cities to keep a check on garbage burning, construction and others
To help mitigate #AirPollution,I flagged off a 10-day long aggressive #CleanAir campaign from Paryavaran Bhawan with 52 teams comprising local SDM as team leader,senior officials from @moefcc & reps from #CPCB, #MCD & #DPCC to monitor & slap penalties on violators #GreenGoodDeed pic.twitter.com/gPmWvdl1e4
— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) November 1, 2018
According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), pollution may worsen until November 4, with high moisture trapping the pollutants and calm wind is preventing dispersal. The Air Quality Index (AQI) on Friday at 4 pm was 370 in Delhi, considered “very poor” or near “severe” when ideally it should be less than 100.
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Raising concern over deteriorating Delhi’s air quality, the Union Minister said, “The weather conditions, stubble-burning and festival season will deteriorate the air quality further
To fight against pollution
Flag off 44 joint teams with union environment minister @drharshvardhan in the capital to check air polluition
Teams consisting of SDMs/MCD/DPCC/Environment Department of Delhi & officials of GoI pic.twitter.com/RW7jqxZJP0— Imran Hussain (@ImranHussaain) November 1, 2018
Mr. Vardhan also said to combat the toxic air of Delhi and NCR, several teams have recommended that rules on construction activity and garbage burning are strictly adhered to. “On the implementation scale of 10, Delhi scores 4.92, Noida 7.36, Faridabad 5.17, Gurugram 3.95 and Ghaziabad 3.77 (the higher the score, better is the implementation of anti-pollution measures),” the Union Minister said. The implementation scoring of Delhi and cities in the national capital region was recently done by Central Pollution Control Board based on the number of polluting incidents reported, their relative impact in surrounding areas and actions that helped check a large number of polluting activities in a reasonable time frame.
Also Read: Air Pollution: Haze Hovers Over Delhi As Peak Pollution Season Arrives
With inputs from IANS
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.
