CM reviews new tech installed to combat air pollution in Delhi

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta inspected air pollution control tech, emphasizing year-round efforts, despite experts urging focus on source-level solutions.

New Delhi

The Pawan III air purifier system installed near the Kirti Nagar fire station. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday inspected a slew of infrastructure installations of Indian make, made to tackle air pollution in the Capital through scientific methods. This included the STR-101 filter-free air purifier system installed on Sat Guru Ram Singh Marg on Rama Road, an EV-mounted anti-smog gun operating on the Kirti Nagar-Mayapuri stretch, and the PAWAN III roadside pollution-control device installed near the Kirti Nagar fire station.

Gupta, accompanied by environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, said the government’s fight against pollution would continue throughout the year and not remain limited to the winter.

“Delhi’s campaign against pollution is not confined to a few winter months but is a year-round commitment to ensuring clean air and better health for citizens,” she said.

Experts, however, have repeatedly advised against use of such devices, calling for first studying how the technologies work on the ground, as opposed to tests in laboratories.

Mukesh Khare, an expert from IIT Delhi, said such devices are not suitable for Delhi’s ambient air conditions.

“The government needs to focus on solutions that address pollution at its source rather than relying on temporary mitigation measures. It is essentially a ‘flux in, flux out’ mechanism — the polluted air that goes out is quickly replaced by equally polluted air from the surroundings,” he said.

The 21 STR-101 filter-free air purifier systems have been installed on electricity poles along the central verge of the stretch. Officials said the system is capable of reducing smoke, dust, PM1, PM2.5, PM10 and harmful gases, such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. The system also has IoT-enabled monitoring features and is designed to operate without filters or consumable materials.

The mobile zero-emission EV-mounted sprinkler system sprays ultrafine water droplets to help settle dust and pollutants in the air. Officials said the system uses real-time PM sensors and IoT-based controls to regulate operations according to air quality conditions.

The chief minister later visited the PAWAN III roadside air-pollution control device installed on roadside dividers. It captures polluted air from vehicles and releases cleaner air after a multistage purification process. Gupta said field trials in Kolhapur had shown nearly 29% reduction in particulate pollution levels.

Sirsa said the technologies were being tested under the government’s Innovation Challenge initiative and would continue to be monitored over the next two to two-and-a-half months under the supervision of the National Physical Laboratory and the International Centre for Automotive Technology. He said technologies that successfully meet scientific standards could be considered for larger deployment in the future.