Delhi AQI: Connaught Place smog tower remains defunct, BJP attacks Delhi govt

Delhi AQI: The tower It can filter around 1,000 cubic metres of air per second.

India’s first smog tower in Delhi’s Connaught Place remained defunct while the air quality in several areas of the national capital reeled under the” severe” category”.

The AQI around Delhi-NCR was crossed the 500 mark on November 3.

The tower, worth Rs 20 crore, aimed at purifying air in a 1-km radius around the structure was inaugurated by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in August 2021. It can filter around 1,000 cubic metres of air per second. Around 40 fans were installed at the bottom of the tower to suck in air from the top. The air would then be filtered and released through the fans at the bottom. The tower comprises 5,000 filters. Electrostatic air filters were installed to filter microparticles, including those that constitute smoke, household dust and pollen.

A Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system was also installed to collect data and monitor its functioning. This tower was established as a pilot project. Later another such tower was set up in Anand Vihar.

Since the towers were set up, IIT-Bombay and IIT-Delhi have been studying the efficiency of the smog towers in providing clean air zones in specific regions and their performance in reducing the levels of PM2.5 and PM10.

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However, recently the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) suggested that the smog tower be shut down as it was found to be “largely ineffective in tackling air pollution”.  It also said the site should be used as an environmental and climate change innovation centre.

In December 2021, data submitted by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) showed a 50-60 percent reduction in PM 2.5 concentration but only between the inlet and the outlet of the smog tower, reported Hindustan Times.

Experts have also argued that smog towers are no answer to Delhi’s air pollution woes. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at Centre for Science and Environment, said that smog towers across the world haven’t emerged as a solution to the air pollution problem. “There is no scientific study at the moment to back the need for smog towers,” she said.

According to an Indian Express report last year, a Delhi government official said that the smog tower had “underperformed”. “The sensors that are placed to collect data were not placed correctly and not giving proper readings. There were issues with the filters as well, which would get dislodged at high fan speeds. Leaks that allowed polluted air into the system were detected in a few places” the official said.

Meanwhile, after the reports of the tower being defunct surfaced, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawala attacked the Delhi government for the tower’s closure.

"I am here at Delhi's smog tower. It was claimed that pollution would come down by 50 per cent with the help of this smog tower, however, for the last 7-8 months this smog tower has not been working. Today, when Delhi has turned into a gas chamber, this smog tower remains closed. Questions must be asked from the Kejriwal government on what has it done in the last 7-8 years to address the issue of air pollution in Delhi,” he said.