Delhi govt forms 66 teams of experts to monitor pollution

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has constituted 66 teams to supervise the year-long 'Clean Air for Delhi' campaign to fight air pollution.

These teams include members of the government, environmentalists, experts from the Central government, members of the Central Pollution Control Board and the Municipal Corporations.

"These teams will look after various aspects, such as garbage burning, vehicular emission, encroachment of roads by parking which cause congestion, dug up and dusty roads, industrial emissions, construction and demolition waste, use of power generators etc," said an government official.

Meanwhile, as part of the Campaign, Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain flagged off the week-long Anti-Smog Gun campaign at the Delhi Secretariat on Monday.

These guns will be used on roads managed by the Public Works Department (PWD) during non-peak hours to check their capabilities in reducing air pollution.

"They are expected to suppress airborne particles and dust on road surface and will be used for spraying on roadside vegetation as well. This process is likely to reduce contribution of particulate matter which settles on the vegetation due to road re-suspension and windblown dust," said Hussain.

The guns will be used on different PWD routes, in consultation with the Traffic Police.

The Minister informed that the Delhi government is exploring various solutions to reduce air pollution in the Capital, with the anti-smog gun being one of them. "The government will undertake trial of many new technologies in its fight against pollution in the Capital," he said.

Earlier, the government had installed an 'anti-pollution tower' under the Indraprastha Marg flyover, near ITO, to fight air pollution, which reaches alarming levels, especially during winter.

The tower is fitted with exhaust fans to suck in polluted air and a machine inside it removes nearly 90 per cent of the particulate matter.