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New Delhi, Oct 26 (IANS) With an aim to control air pollution, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is preparing to install pole-mounted ‘mist sprayers’ in Connaught Place and Khan Market, vice-chairman Kuljeet Singh Chahal said on Sunday.
Speaking at the launch of the second phase of the ‘Mist Sprayer Project’ in key areas like Shanti Path and Africa Avenue, Chahal said the initiative is inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Develop India@2047’ and represents another strong step towards keeping the NDMC area clean, green and pollution free.
Chahal said the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi-NCR remains in the ‘very poor’ category, with many areas in the red zone. Keeping in mind the seriousness of the situation, NDMC has launched a special pollution control campaign focused on dust suppression, haze reduction, enhancing greenery and public participation.
He emphasized that this initiative is an important step towards providing a clean and healthy environment to the citizens.
He said that mist sprayers installed on electric poles release fine droplets of water in the air, which helps in settling of dust and pollutants and thus improves the air quality.
This system has proven to be highly effective in densely populated and high traffic areas. These sprayers also aid in maintenance of roadside plants and help in using treated water.
He informed that the first phase of the project was implemented on Lodhi Road, where 15 mist sprayers were installed at a distance of 500 meters at a cost of about Rs 34 lakh.
The initiative received positive response from both citizens and experts. Encouraged by this success, the second phase has now been launched in Shanti Path and Africa Avenue, with plans to expand the system to the NDMC area in the coming months.
He said that in the next phase, mist sprayers will be installed on 24 major roads of the council area at an estimated cost of Rs 15 crore. Additionally, the system will be extended to Connaught Place (Inner and Outer Circle) and Khan Market.
At Africa Avenue, 30 electric poles at a distance of 850 meters have been equipped with sprayers. Each pole has five nozzles, and each nozzle has six small holes, enabling 30 spray points per pole.
Each pole uses approximately 84 liters of treated water per hour, supported by four 5,000-litre storage tanks. A similar setup with 32 pillars has been installed on a 900-metre stretch of Shanti Path, and both locations are now fully operational and functioning effectively.
Chahal said that NDMC has already implemented many modern pollution control measures. GPS-enabled mechanical road sweepers are deployed for road cleaning and monitored through the Smart City Integrated Command and Control Center (ICCC).
Additionally, anti-smog guns and mist spray machines are regularly used. He said that for maintenance of roadside plants, treated water tankers with 5,000-10,000 liter capacity are used to prevent wastage of fresh water.
–IANS
RCH/UK