However, pollution levels fell to the ‘very poor’ category hampering the traffic
The Delhi government on Wednesday tested yet another method of beating the air pollution in the Capital with the trial of an anti-smog gun at Anand Vihar - city’s pollution hotspot. The experiment was conducted when the city witnessed haze and fog throughout the day with the air quality deteriorating to ‘very poor’ level at 359 units. However, the viability of the device to be used as an anti-pollution measure will be decided after a feasibility study is conducted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).
Anand Vihar inter-state bus terminus (ISBT) has been identified as a major pollution hotspot by the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA).
The cannon sprays atomised water, making the pollutants such as particulate matter (PM) 10 absorb it, thus clearing the air. The real-time data gathered by the DPCC during the experiment between 10 am and 2 pm from the spot, however, showed that the pollution levels did not fall much, and rather rose as the day progressed.
According to the DPCC officials, the hourly-readings of PM 10 recorded were - 630, 608, 736, 842 and 702, and for PM 2.5 - 444, 421, 476, 509 and 460. The units are measured in microgramms per cubic meters.
PM 2.5 - ultrafine particles causing respiratory problems - is the most prominent pollutant in Delhi-NCR. The prescribed standards for PM 2.5 and PM 10 are 60 and 100, respectively.
The PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentrations at Anand Vihar in the evening were recorded at 426 and 671, respectively.
“The gun must be used and will be effective only during low wind speed. The wind speed during the trial was 3 kmph. The atomised water can hit the PM 10 pollutants and make them absorb the water. However, since PM 2.5 particles are ultrafine, the spray will not be able to hit them. This kind of cannon was first used during the 2010 Commonwealth Games to clear outdoor venues like stadiums of the dust. It can be a good initiative to mitigate city pollution,” said a senior officer.
Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain, who was present during the experiment said,“This was the first of its kind field experiment and in the coming days the department will conduct many such experiments to ascertain which equipment will be best to control major contributors of air pollution.”
Meanwhile, with fog returning to the national Capital, the visibility in the early morning hours was reduced to 500 meters.
The cannon sprays atomised water which helps absorb particulate matter
AIR QUALITY
Delhi 359 (very poor)
Ghaziabad 473 (severe)
Noida 378 (very poor)
Gurgaon 322 (very poor)
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