91 buildings ready with anti-smog guns
New Delhi: Amid the plummeting air quality, a total of 91 public and private buildings have already installed anti-smog guns to combat air pollution.
The Delhi government had mandated that all private and government buildings with a height of G+5 floors and above must install anti-smog guns by November 29. The government has set a target that 150 buildings in the city should have anti-smog guns. At a recently held meeting, it was discussed that 149 anti-smog guns will be installed by the MCD, 21 by the NDMC and one by the Delhi Cantonment Board. According to an official, the total number of buildings identified is 171.
The Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (DTIDC) will also be installing anti-smog guns atop all the Inter-State Bus Terminals (ISBTs). The agencies have to submit a compliance certificate regarding the installation of the anti-smog guns.
A minimum of three guns is mandated for properties with a built-up area of less than 10,000 square metres. Buildings with built-up areas between 10,001 and 15,000 square metres must install at least four guns, while those between 15,001 and 20,000 square metres must have at least five.
Properties ranging from 20,001 to 25,000 square metres are required to install at least six guns. For every additional 5,000 square metres beyond this, an extra anti-smog gun must be added. Environmentalists, however, said the anti-smog guns are like a band-aid measure to curb pollution. “What the government is doing is a temporary measure. The anti-smog guns actually lower the PM10 levels in the immediate radius and do not have an impact on the overall pollution levels. It is a band-aid measure and the government is just treating the symptoms rather than hitting the source of pollution,” environmentalist Vimlendu Jha said.
Concurring with him, environmentalist Bhavreen Kandhari said water sprinkling can never be a cure for settling down pollutants, especially PM2.5. “They can only have a momentary impact on settling down PM2.5 and PM10 pollutants. Where they are really needed is on construction sites, and that too throughout the year. There are sites where they are installed but are non-functional. Strict compliance needs to be enforced, and they need to be functional throughout the year,” she added.
