CPCC decides to conduct third-party evaluation of air-purification tower

So far, there are no independent scientific figures or data available with the CPCC suggesting what the effectt the the tower on AQI in the area. The tower is situated between the Transport Timber Market, Sector 26, and Phase 1, Industrial Area. It was made functional on the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies on September 8.

A Delhi based firm, Pious Air Private Limited, installed it free of cost. The company reportedly spent around Rs 5 crore on the tower.

“Except for a screen showing how much polluted air was pumped in and the quantity of purified air pumped out from the tower, we have no authentic mechanism to check the exact AQI in this particular area. In fact, our own evaluation of the efficiency of this tower is pending. For a balanced and impartial result, we want to evaluate it from a third party. NITTR, Sector 26, has shown an interest for the evaluation charging around Rs 9 lakh. The final formalities will be completed shortly,” IFS Arulrajan, Member Secretary, CPCC, said.

Sources said, “The need for a third party evaluation arose when a few councillors urged the administration to install similar towers in their wards and the administration was not willing to take a decision without scientific research”.

A senior CPCC officer requesting anonymity said, “There are many hypothetical claims about the purification of polluted air by such towers. The efficiency of these towers can only be verified through the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS), which costs around Rs 1 crore. This station monitored the current AQI level in the air”. The tower is reportedly capable of cleaning and purifying the air within a radius of 500 meters to 1 km.

When contacted, the promoter of Pious Air Pvt Ltd, Manoj Jena, claimed, “Around 3.88 crore cubic foot air is being cleaned every day. The tower efficiency increases whenever pollution increases and remains normal when pollution stays normal. We also do third-party evaluation of our tower from two independent agencies settled in Mohali”.

Meahwhile, The AQI of Chandigarh has been dwindling between poor and moderate post Diwali. Senior CPCC officers claimed that stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is the primary reason behind this. The officers said that as winter approaches, the AQI level would deteriorate. On Wednesday, the overall AQI of Chandigarh was recorded 167. The city has three CAAQMSs to monitor AQI levels in Sectors 22, 25 and 53.