Smog tower in CP to come up by August 15, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai

The Delhi government is funding the construction of the smog tower, which is being built on the directions of the Supreme Court on a budget of ₹20 crore by Tata Projects Limited.

Environment minister Gopal Rai announced on Thursday that the construction of a smog tower in Connaught Place, that is the Delhi government’s pet project, will be completed by August 15.

IIT-Bombay is providing technical support to the project in collaboration with IIT-Delhi, and the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC)--a project management consultant. (ANI file photo)

Rai, who visited the site where a 25-metre-high smog tower is being constructed on Thursday, said the work had slowed down because of the lockdown that was effected to stem the crippling surge in Covid-19 cases during the fourth wave of the infection in the Capital. The pace of construction has picked up again, he said.

“The country’s first smog tower is being set up here as a pilot project by the Delhi government. We surveyed the site today (Thursday). If this pilot project is successful, more such towers will be set up in Delhi,” Rai said.

He added, “The tower will be made functional by August 15 and its performance will be monitored by experts, based on which further plans will be made.”

The Delhi government is funding the construction of the smog tower, which is being built on the directions of the Supreme Court on a budget of ₹20 crore by Tata Projects Limited.

IIT-Bombay is providing technical support to the project in collaboration with IIT-Delhi, and the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC)--a project management consultant.

Another such tower is being set up by the Centre at east Delhi’s Anand Vihar under the expertise of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Both the towers were supposed to be built by June, but the Covid-induced lockdown affected the work.

Officials said both the towers will use 1,200 air filters developed by a team of experts at the University of Minnesota in the United States. “The towers are estimated to reduce the concentration of PM2.5 (ultrafine particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 micrometres) by 50% to 70% in about 1km radius around them,” the Delhi government said in a statement on Thursday.

Each tower will have 40 fans and 40 noise control devices and cover an area of 28sq metres. Air would be pulled in from the top of the towers, passed through the filters and released at the bottom, officials added.