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Science & Tech.
Pradeep Kumar

05/10/21 10:25 AM IST

Science over smog towers

In news

Two new smog towers have been recently inaugurated in Delhi. Bengaluru and Chandigarh also installed smog towers this year.

Issue
  • The Delhi government claims that the newly installed smog tower in Connaught Place could reduce air pollution levels by 80%.
  • But there is no scientific evidence of smog towers or any other outdoor air filtration units improving air quality in cities.
  • The smog tower installed in China’s Xi’an and another one installed in Beijing did not prove to be effective and were not scaled up.
  • Smog towers create an illusion of progress towards clean air while diverting crores of public money away from proven solutions.
  • Of the 132 cities in the country that currently don’t meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, 75 do not have a single real-time monitoring station.
  • Moreover, they misdirect policymakers and citizens by deflecting attention from areas that call for urgent action.
Solutions
  • Therefore, governments looking at investing in outdoor filtration systems should defer their deployment plans.
  • Further, the data on the effectiveness of the newly installed smog towers should be made available publicly for independent evaluation.
  • Until there is scientific consensus on their effectiveness, every new tower installed is just a violation of taxpayers’ money and citizens’ trust.
  • Meanwhile, governments must ramp up investments in proven solutions to reduce air pollution.
  • First, policymakers should expand air pollution monitoring in areas with limited or no air quality monitoring and strengthen forecasting capacity across cities.
  • For areas with no monitoring infrastructure, alternatives like low-cost air quality monitors in combination with satellite observations should be explored to plug the existing data gaps.
  • Simultaneously, cities should strengthen their air quality forecasting systems by collaborating with scientific institutions that are transparent about their approach and findings. 
Source: The Hindu

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