[Air Pollution] India cannot be dumping ground for technology that failed elsewhere: Intervenor in Smog Tower case tells SC

Soon after the government submitted before a Justice Arun Mishra led bench that the smog tower project will be completed in another ten months, a Delhi-based doctor Kaushal Kant Mishra , an intervening applicant in the case, has raised questions on the efficacy of the project.

.Smog Tower: IIT Bombay signs MoU, Centre sticks to 10-month timeline to complete project. In his additional affidavit before the Court filed through Advocate Senthil Jagadeesan, Mishra states that smog towers have no scientific basis to claim that it can tackle rising pollution and that it may prove to be counterproductive because it will provide citizens with " a false sense of complacency and assurance. "

. On January 13, the Court had said that smog towers should be installed at Anand Vihar within three months.

. Supervised by IIT Mumbai, the smog towers will be constructed by NBCC and installed by TATA, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had told a Bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra.

."We will not tolerate this laxity", Supreme Court directs Centre to file affidavit on why Smog Tower project was not completed in time. The Court had asked Solicitor General Mehta to apprise it on August 10 about the time frame and also when the work for the installation of the smog tower can be started.

. On July 30, the Centre had said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been prepared for the installation of smog tower and that it would be signed by the stakeholders soon.

. However Dr Mishra states that past experiences of smog towers in the city have not been positive.

.Supreme Court hints at taking contempt action against IIT Bombay for backing out from court-ordered Smog Tower project. The affidavit mentions the smog tower that was installed in the Lajpat Nagar Area in Delhi by the Trader’s Association, Lajpat Nagar with the Gautam Gambhir Foundation in January 2020. The tower, which aimed to treat and purify 2,50,000 to 6,00000 cubic meter air per day, had come at a cost of ₹ 7 lakh.

. However, Dr Mishra points towards research and reports which estimate that to tackle the rising air pollution levels in India, at least 25 lakh such towers will be required. More discouragingly, air pollution experts have also found that the tower is not helping reduce pollution by even marginal amounts – even in its immediate vicinity.

.Supreme Court lays down guidelines and directions to combat air pollution in Delhi. Dr Mishra's affidavit further avers that measures such as smog towers are seen as “band-aid fixes” which have little to no lasting impact on reducing air pollution levels.

. "The emphasis of this Hon’ble Court on any mitigation strategy should be on finding a cure for the issues faced by residents of Delhi, rather than just treating the symptoms." reads the affidavit. . The Delhi-based doctor adds that scientists and experts have highlighted that smog towers are not suitable to Delhi’s meteorological conditions, unlike other cities, as "Delhi does not have smog, but rather fog combined with a high amount of dust particles."

. The additional affidavit states that a lion's share of the money being spent on the project will make way into foreign hands, including that of Chinese citizens.

. "It may be worthwhile to note that this same technology which has seen Chinese companies be cautious about is now sought to be diverted to India. This country cannot be a dumping ground for that which has failed elsewhere." Kaushal Kant Mishra

[Air Pollution] India cannot be dumping ground for technology that failed elsewhere: Intervenor in Smog Tower case tells SC

Debayan Roy

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