New Delhi: Smog towers not a solution in Delhi-NCR

New Delhi : Smog towers are not a solution to the air pollution problem in Delhi-NCR and the Centre is not in favour of installing more giant air purifiers, central government sources said on Thursday.

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

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. On Wednesday, a team of Delhi government officers restarted the smog tower. The air quality in Delhi was recorded in the 'severe' category on Thursday morning, with a marginal improvement expected just ahead of Diwali as meteorological conditions are likely to become slightly favourable. The city's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 420 at 8 am on Thursday, compared to 426 at 4 pm on Wednesday. The AQI map prepared by the Central Pollution Control Board showed clusters of red dots (indicating hazardous air quality) spread across the Indo-Gangetic plains. Neighbouring Ghaziabad (369), Gurugram (396), Noida (394), Greater Noida (450), and Faridabad (413) also reported very bad air quality.