Anti-smog guns likely to be deployed only by May 2024

The Brihanmumbai Mumbai Corporation (BMC) announced the deployment of 30 anti-smog guns to tackle air pollution in Mumbai, but they will not be available until May 2024. Experts argue that the guns are a waste of resources and ineffective in reducing pollution.

Mumbai: When the air quality in Mumbai began deteriorating in October this year due to early withdrawal of the monsoon, the Brihanmumbai Mumbai Corporation (BMC) announced with much fanfare that 30 new anti-smog guns would be deployed in the city by the month-end. But in fact, it will take at least seven months for the anti-smog guns, also called mobile misting units, to be delivered and pressed into service, and they will be of no use in tackling pollution in the city this winter.

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Anti-smog guns work by spraying atomized water droplets measuring 50–100 micron through a high pressure propellor, which creates an ultra-fine fog that settles dust and polluted particles in the air.

The BMC issued three tenders for 30 anti-smog guns on October 18; 11 units were for the city, eight for the eastern suburbs, and 11 for the western suburbs. The initial due date in the tenders was October 27, which was later extended to November 1. But since the design, fabrication and supply of these units takes seven months, they are expected only after May 2024.

The BMC is looking to hire anti-smog guns in the interim, in addition to one that is already being used in the city, said an official from the civic body’s transport department. The corporation is also repurposing machines used during Covid-19 for the purpose, with some needing repair due to disuse.

As regards the 30 anti-smog guns expected in May 2024, one unit will be deployed in each ward, and every division will have two extra units for backup. The machines will have a 6,000-litre water tank fabricated and mounted on the chassis, and the water guns will have a horizontal range of at least 50 meters under no-wind conditions.

The anti-smog guns will be used for three shifts per day in the winter, between November and February. They will be used once a day in the summer (March to June), while during the monsoon, they will be used once a day for 15 days in October, if needed. Each shift will be of eight hours. They machines will not be used on Sundays and public holidays, unless required by the ward.

The tenders for the city and western suburbs have an estimated cost of ₹16.2 crore, while the one for the eastern suburbs costs ₹11.48 crore. Thus, the estimated cost of each unit is ₹1.4 crore, which is inclusive of the cost of operations and maintenance for three years.

But several experts claimed anti-smog guns were a waste of resources and raised doubts about their efficacy.

“Anti-smog guns can be placed in sensitive locations like schools, hospitals or construction sites. But deploying them across the city and on the roads is no way to reduce pollution. Such pollution must be tackled at source,” said Sunil Dahiya, analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

Gufran Beig, founder of System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), echoed Dahiya.

“Anti-smog guns are good for reducing the pollution in nearby areas, but they can’t clean the air beyond a distance,” he said.