NCR’s AQI woes continues as RWAs try to fight back!

From rooftop anti-smog guns to automated sprinklers, housing societies across NCR are taking pollution control into their own hands.

This November, early mornings in Gurugram’s high-rises look like a war scene straight out of a Hollywood movie. Wondering how? Picture rooftop anti-smog guns spraying fine mist as residents of skyscrapers head out for their walks. Kilometres away in Greater Noida, security guards hose down internal avenues before school buses roll in, while Faridabad societies run automated boundary sprinklers on hourly timers. High-rise living in NCR has acquired a new winter amenity: DIY clean-air engineering.

Anti-smog guns and water sprinklers are becoming a go-to for high-rise societies across NCR. (Photo: AI(For representational purpose only))

With indoor purifiers running round-the-clock inside apartments, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) across NCR are investing in outdoor air-scrubbing setups turning lawns, decks, and terraces into dust-suppression zones. For residents, the push comes out of desperation to reclaim normal life. “You move into a spacious, green society hoping for a healthier lifestyle, pay a high cost, and suddenly your balcony doors are taped shut for three months straight. My kids haven’t played football outdoors in two weeks because 10 minutes outside leaves them coughing with watery eyes. You feel like a prisoner in your own home and it is encouraging to have the RWA’s take action,” says Amit Sharma, a resident of Gaur Sundaryam Apartments in Greater Noida West.

Gurugram

Societies including Central Park Resorts, Vipul Greens and Rising Homes in Sector 92 have installed anti-smog guns and repurposed sewage treatment plant (STP) water for sprinklers. “Instead of waiting for civic bodies, we routed unused STP water into high-pressure sprinklers lining our jogging tracks and green belts, spraying from a height of 20 feet at night and early morning. Our anti-smog guns also bring the AQI down by around 50 to 60 points, according to our private monitors,” says Rising Homes RWA chief Praveen Malik.

RWA president Amit Jindal adds, “The toxic haze is making everyone sick, especially kids and the elderly. This is our second year using these machines; while terrace water sprinkling helped earlier, we’ve realised that anti-smog guns are far more effective at bringing down pollutant levels.”

Greater Noida

At Gaur Sundaryam Apartments in Greater Noida West, misting lines have been installed at entry gates and automated sprinklers across the central green belt. “With constant construction around our sector and rising AQI levels, fine dust and smog coat every balcony by noon. Following Gurugram RWAs, we mounted misting lines along our entry gates and put automated sprinklers across our central green belt on a two-hour cycle so senior citizens get a window for their evening walk,” says Mahesh Rai of the society’s Apartment Owners Association.

Faridabad

At The Pranayam in Sector 82, residents are using lawn sprinklers and water tankers to tackle dust from nearby roads and industrial activity. An RWA member says, “Between highway traffic and nearby industrial dust, our towers take a heavy hit every winter. We combine lawn sprinklers with hired water tankers to wash down internal roads every morning and evening. Residents backed the extra budget once they saw how noticeably it settled the haze around the kids’ play area.”