Delhi smog has choked us long enough. The damage has been done and there’s no going back, nothing can be done about what Delhi had to endure the last pollution season. What we can do something about is the future. In November, the Supreme Court had directed smog towers to be built in Delhi. The first one is up and about in Lajpat Nagar, but it only covers the area up to 750 meters. In times of emergency, crop burning could not be curbed because of corruption in the farmers’ compensation amounting to ₹2,500 crores in Punjab, as reported by News18. Now, the Supreme Court has directed the Centre and the Delhi government to install a smog tower at Connaught Place and Anand Vihar as a pilot project.
What is it
Smog towers are large-scale air purifiers placed in public spaces. Delhi’s smog towers were to be built on the lines of China’s since they have experimented with the technology. China has smog towers as high up as 100 meters in the sky. Delhi’s smog tower in Lajpat Nagar is 6 meters high and cost an estimated ₹7 lakh.
Smog tower in Delhi
The Delhi government has been directed to complete the installation within three months. A space of 30×30 meters will be provided for the experimental tower in Anand Vihar within 7 days. The Union Government will fund the project and the Ministry of Environment and Forests shall monitor it.
Anti-smog guns have been made compulsory in Delhi NCR’s project sites that require environmental clearance and have built up area of more than 20,000 sq meters. This includes large construction sites, road construction stretches, mining activities, large parking sites on unpaved areas and, during large public gatherings, demolition activities etcetera.
What now
The Supreme Court bench said “Combine Harvesters, Happy Seeders, Hydraulically Reversible MB Plough, Paddy Straw Chopper, Mulcher, Rotary Slasher, Zero Till Seed Drill, and Rotavators and balers” are to be made available either free of charge or on nominal rental basis in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Regarding crop burning, the court has sought a comprehensive report.
Concerns over waste burning and disposal, industrial smoke chimneys, and construction and demolition were raised by the court. Directives have been issued to Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh regarding the same in order to curb malpractices and take action against offenders. Another major point was concerning water quality in Delhi. Business Standard reported, “With respect to water quality supplied in Delhi, the bench sought a report from the pollution control boards concerned as well as the Indian Bureau of Standards after random checking of various samples in Delhi within one month.”
We are relieved after the judgement but, still skeptical about how well the directives will be implemented. Delhi’s air quality has done permanent and irreversible damage to residents according to studies as reported by First Post and also reiterated by the Supreme Court in November 2019. Children were the most severely affected. There’s no such thing as quick action at this point because we are already lagging behind in tackling the worst enemy of all, climate change.