AAP govt tries anti-smog gun in Delhi's Anand Vihar as air quality reaches "severe" level of pollution

Amid the latest instance of fog engulfing Delhi, the Arvind Kejriwal government on Wednesday began the trial of the anti-smog gun, Outlook  reported.

Anti-smog gun by Delhi Government spraying water at Anand Vihar ISBT - one of Delhi's pollution hotspots - to improve air quality. Its a trial run. pic.twitter.com/BN4FLmdo80

— AAP In News (@AAPInNews) December 20, 2017

The Delhi government tried the gun in Anand Vihar, where pollution levels reached an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 413,  Hindustan Times  reported.

According to the AQI, any number above 300 signifies “severe” level of pollution.

An anti-smog gun is connected to a water tank and mounted on a vehicle, which could be taken across the city to spray atomised water to settle dust and other suspended particles.

The device, which costs around Rs 20 lakh, is expected to bring down pollutants in the air by sticking to the dirty particles and bringing them down, NDTV reported.

Sushant Saini, managing director of Cloud Tech, the company which manufactured the anti-smog gun, told IANS that it can spray water up to a height of 50 metres and the results were positive as the spray acts like rain and settles dust particles and also PM2.5.

The first trial was conducted at the Secretariat on Monday evening, which was reviewed by deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Environment Minister Imran Hussain.

On the next day, Environment Secretary Anil Kumar Singh apprised Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal of the trial run of device in a meeting to review the detailed action plan of agencies and stakeholders on measures to combat air pollution.

The idea of an anti-smog gun purportedly comes from China.

“This move is inspired by the Chinese water cannons that were used by the authorities there with some success," sources told The Indian Express , adding that the device may work well in an arid area like Delhi.

Hindustan Times reported that the levels of PM2.5 and PM10, two most common pollutants in the world, have doubled since Sunday. The report added that the national capital would need strong winds from north of India to flush out the pollutants.

Moreover, the minimum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 9.4 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year, the India Meteorological Department office said.

With inputs from agencies