Delhi Air Quality: Smog Towers Not A Solution, Stubble-Burning Main Cause Behind Decaying AQI, Says Centre

In 2021, two smog towers were installed in Delhi - one at Connaught Place under the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and another at Anand Vihar under the Central Pollution Control Board.

New Delhi: The Central government has said it is not in favour of installing more giant air purifiers in the Delhi-NCR region as it believes that smog towers are not a solution to the rising air pollution in the national capital city.

Citing central government sources, a PTI report said the Centre is not in favour of installing more smog towers in the national capital as it believes that they are not a permanent solution to the degrading air quality in Delhi-NCR.

“Smog towers are not a solution to the air pollution problem in Delhi-NCR. The central government is not in favour of installing more such structures in the future,” a source said, according to news agency PTI.

‘Smog tower not a solution’

They said the effectiveness of smog towers in combating air pollution was discussed at an emergency meeting attended by officials from the Commission for Air Quality Management, the states and ministries concerned on Wednesday.

The sources also said that stubble burning in Punjab is the major reason behind the deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR during the paddy harvesting season.

#WATCH | Delhi air quality continues to remain in the 'severe' category as per the Central Pollution Control Board

(Visuals from Central Secretariat Station & Teen Murti, shot at 7:00 a.m. today) pic.twitter.com/GF7GEmjtm9

— ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2023

In 2021, two smog towers were installed in Delhi – one at Connaught Place under the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and another at Anand Vihar under the Central Pollution Control Board – following the Supreme Court’s directions.

The smog tower at Connaught Place was temporarily shut down due to “unilateral” directions by Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s Ashwani Kumar, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai had claimed.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court directed that the smog tower at Connaught Place be made operational following which the a a team of Delhi government officers restarted the smog tower on Wednesday.

Cabs registered in other states barred in Delhi

Meanwhile, doubling down on its efforts to combat the “severe” air quality in the city, the Delhi government on Wednesday barred the entry of app-based taxis bearing registration plates from other states.

As per an order issued by the Delhi government, taxis bearing registration numbers of other states will not be allowed to ply within the capital. The order came day after Supreme Court expressed concern over the surge in app-based cabs plying in Delhi which contributed to the deteriorating air quality in the city.

The top court had urged the Delhi government to consider banning cabs registered in other states and only allow those bearing a Delhi registration number. “There is a large number of app-based taxis in Delhi which have registrations in different states. If we look at the roads, each one is carrying only one passenger,” the Apex court noted.

Acting on the Supreme Court’s recommendations, the AAP govt banned the entry of app-based cabs registered outside Delhi. A separate order will be issued by the Delhi Transport Department on when the ban will kick in.

Odd-even scheme deferred

Meanwhile, the Delhi government also deferred the implementation of odd-even car rationing scheme pending a review by the Supreme Court on its effectiveness.

Addressing a press conference, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said the city government would submit the results of two major studies conducted by the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago and the Delhi Technical University to determine the scheme’s effectiveness for the Supreme Court’s review.

AQI remains in “severe” category

Air quality in the national capital continued to be in the ‘Severe’ category on Thursday, according to data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

(With PTI inputs)