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Smog towers don’t work. Here’s a better way to spend 20 crores that will have a material impact on air quality:
Distribute thousands of LPG/electricty based heaters to people who otherwise have no choice but to burn biomass for heating during the peak of the winters. https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1314521516415971328
Distribute thousands of LPG/electricty based heaters to people who otherwise have no choice but to burn biomass for heating during the peak of the winters. https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1314521516415971328
Back-of-the-envelope calculations: ₹20 cr can buy 40,000 gas heaters at ₹5000 a pop. These many are probably not even needed. Let’s assume 10,000 are needed. They can together displace 200 kg of PM2.5 per night.
The 2010 commonwealth games smog tower captured 2.5 kg per month.
The 2010 commonwealth games smog tower captured 2.5 kg per month.
Such mobile gas heaters don’t exist off the shelf in the market, but can be made. Work with the petroleum companies and manufacturers. Order 10,000 of them and the market will respond in weeks.
Gas based lanterns already exist. You just need ones that are optimised for heat rather than light.
In my neighbourhood, I counted a dozen fires at the winter peak. The whole neighbourhood smelled like burning leaves. People deserve clean heat. And there’s clearly money to burn.
In my neighbourhood, I counted a dozen fires at the winter peak. The whole neighbourhood smelled like burning leaves. People deserve clean heat. And there’s clearly money to burn.
The security guard of my building has an electric heater. Many other buildings don’t provide this. Security guards and other professionals are forced to burn wood and leaves. It’s a shame, but either mandate RWAs to provide clean heating, or subsidise it yourself.
The consequence of not thinking about clean heating (and wasting money on smog towers instead). There’s a little bonfire on every street and street corner around Delhi. We need LPG based outdoor heaters for workers. PM2.5 levels are over 900 today.
