New Delhi: The smog tower at Connaught Place inaugurated by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has completed one month and is functioning at full capacity. Scientists will conduct research on this smog tower installed as a pilot project in Delhi for the next 2 years. Scientists from IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) are conducting the research.
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They observed a 90 per cent reduction in pollution level. When the ANI team reached here on Thursday, it observed that it was running at full capacity. Scientist of Delhi Pollution Control Committee Anwar Ali Khan said,
All 40 fans of this smog tower are operational and 10,000 filters that have been installed are also working. Its result is visible on the data login system. Compared to other areas of Delhi, there is a 90 per cent reduction in PM-2.5 and PM-10 levels. The team of scientists from IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay is monitoring. We will do research here for the next two years. Work is also being done on how its cost can be reduced to a minimum.
The total cost of this smog tower is Rs 20 crore. Out of this, Rs 7 crore has been kept for research and Rs 13 crore is the installation charge. Anwar Ali Khan said,
From filters to fans, we had to import a lot of equipment from the US, which cost a lot. Now we can manufacture these all in India itself, which will reduce the cost by one third. Right now, it is running on electricity. We are trying to shift it to solar energy in the coming days.
Environment Minister Gopal Rai is excited by the preliminary report on this smog tower. Talking to ANI on this, he said,
The trial of all its segments has been completed and now from October 1, it is going to run at full capacity. The primary report of the trial is quite positive and encouraging. But still, the team of scientists from IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) is monitoring. On the basis of its result, the government will decide to move forward.
There is another smog tower in Delhi, which has been installed by the central government in Anand Vihar. When asked whether two smog towers are enough for Delhi, Gopal Rai said,
These two alone are not enough. Both of them are working as pilot projects. After their success, such smog towers will have to be installed at least in all the hot spots in Delhi. That is why we are waiting that once its proper study is done and its report comes, then we will proceed on the basis of that.
It is noteworthy that, the height of this smog tower is 24.2 meters from the ground, while its plan area is 28X28 meters (784.5 square meters). This smog tower is made of RCC and steel. It cleans the polluted air from above and leaves one thousand cubic meters per second filter air below. For this, a total of 40 fans and 10 thousand filters have been installed in it.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, that is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
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