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Delhi Gets ‘Anti-Smog Gun’ To Fight Pollution

By shiwangi64
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Delhi Gets ‘Anti-Smog Gun’ To Fight Pollution

The New Delhi Municipal Corporation on Monday installed an 'Anti-Smog Gun' in Central Park, Connaught Place. The machine will spray atomized water which can settle down dust particles. This is expected to lower the levels of PM 10 and PM 2.5 in the air.

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Air pollution has always been a problem for the capital. After lockdown imposed due to Corona, the pollution had decreased. But now as Delhi is in its unlocked phase, there is a resurgence in the pollution levels.

Working of the Anti-Smog Gun

  • The machine is devised for creating an ultra-fine fog. This will consist of water droplets which will be less than the size of 10 microns. These droplets will then be spread over an area by the high-speed fan.
  • The device can absorb the smallest of polluted particles in the air. It will be operated by a wired control system.
  • The throw distance of the gun is of 100 metres with water droplets ranging 30 microns to 50 microns. This means, an area of up to 37,000 sq. metres can be covered.
  • The cost of the machine is 13 lakh. If the trial succeeds, then more such devices will be installed.

“We will examine the performance of the anti-smog gun and may employ more machines accordingly at India Gate, Rajpath and Metro or other construction sites”, NDMC officials said.

Previous Steps To Tackle Pollution

Besides increasing tree plantation and rules like ‘Odd-Even’, various other devices have been deployed earlier in the capital to tackle pollution.

  • In 2019, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation deployed 40 truck-mounted, mist fogging sprinklers. These were meant to settle the dust particles on roads. Employed for eight hours a day, the trucks were used in hotspot.
  • Back in 2018, WAYU air purifiers were installed at many locations in Delhi. These purifiers could clean up to 10,000 square metres of air. The project was funded by the Central government.
  • ‘Pariyayantra’ was another pilot project initiated by the Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies. The project included small air filter units which were mounted on buses. These units could trap more than 50 grams of dust in 10 hours.
  • In January 2020, cricketer-turned-politician, Gautam Gambhir, installed an Air Purifier Tower in Lajpat Nagar. The tower is capable of cleaning up to 6, 00,000 cubic metres of air per day.

Expert's Suggestion

Shambhavi Shukla, program officer, air pollution, CSE, expressed concerns on the use of such machines. “They are not long term solution”, Shukla told HT. According to her, machines like Anti-Smog gun could suppress the particles only for a certain time. Therefore, there is a need to look into the sources of pollution if actual levels have to be brought down.

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Written By Shiwangi, She is doing her Masters in Mass Communication from GGS IP University, New Delhi.

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Author
shiwangi64
Tags: Pollution delhi pollution smog
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