What is a smog tower and do they work? How India is fighting air pollution
When temperatures drop and wind speed declines, toxic particles from car tailpipes, industrial chimneys, and construction sites remain trapped over India’s capital and its satellite cities. This is also the season when farmers in neighboring states harvest summer crops and burn the residue, leaving Delhi in a thick white haze that lasts for days.
This year, once again, the city’s authorities are rolling out emergency measures such as reducing road traffic, banning farm fires, and activating the city’s smog towers to improve air quality.
Along with that is the revival of a debate about the effectiveness of the towers.
What are smog towers?
Delhi residents often keep air purifiers — small fans connected to a high-efficiency particulate air filter, or HEPA — at home. The fan pushes the air through a filter that traps dust, particulate matter, pollen, and other pollutants.
A smog tower follows similar principles and is intended to be a giant air purifier installed in the open.
The tower, equipped with thousands of filters and can be as high as twenty meters (66 feet), is designed to capture pollution particles and improve air quality in densely populated areas. Although the technology they rely on is simple, smog towers need a lot of maintenance.
