The first ‘smog tower’ in Delhi became operational as it was inaugurated by the cricketer-turned-politician Gambhir on January 3, 2020.
- The giant 20-ft-tall device has been installed at Lajpat Nagar Central Market.
- The “smog tower” will purify air in Lajpat Nagar market, which sees an average footfall of nearly 15,000 people every day.
- The equipment has been installed by the Traders Association Lajpat Nagar (TALN) with the help of east Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir.
- It is capable of treating 6,00,000 cubic metres of air per day and can collect more than 75 per cent of particulate matters (PM) 2.5 and 10.
About Smog Tower
- Smog towers are designed to work as large-scale air purifiers. They are usually fitted with multiple layers of air filters, which clean the air of pollutants as it passes through them.
- The smog tower project in India is a collaboration between the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, IIT-Delhi and the University of Minnesota.
- China has two smog towers — in its capital Beijing and in the northern city of Xi’an. The Xi’an tower is dubbed the world’s largest.
