Delhi builts a 20 ft tall ‘Smog Tower’ to combat air pollution

Seems like the increasingly hazardous air quality of the national capital, Delhi, is now being taken seriously by the government. To combat the situation, the capital has installed its first-ever smog tower that will start operating from January 3, 2020. This gigantic 20 ft tall air-purifier is installed in the Lajpat Nagar market in south Delhi. As per the reports, the market experiences an average footfall of 15000 people each day.

According to the experts involved in the project, the prime motto of the air purifier is to create a clean air zone around the region, with an estimated 80 per cent reduction in particulate matter.
The national capital has been struggling with alarmingly toxic air quality every winter over the past few years. As per the reports of the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the overall air quality index (AQI) was at 419, which is labelled as ‘severe’ category.

The supreme court had asked the concerned governments to install “smog towers” across the capital to fight air pollution in November 2019. The estimated cost of the tower is nearly INR 7 lakh, as per reports.
What are smog towers?

Smog tower is a device that works as a large-scale air purifier. It is fitted with various layers of air filters that helps in cleaning the air around the region.

Where are these installed?

Another country that has been suffering from air pollution is China. Today, the country has two smog towers, one installed in the capital of the country, Beijing, and the other one is in Xi’an city.