Bhubaneswar: To ensure that capital residents inhale clean air, which has no PM-10 or PM-2.5, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) installs pole-mounted dust collectors at multiple locations.The move is aimed at meeting the standard of National Clean Air Policy or NCAP. The dust collectors that are designed to be mounted on streetlight poles, will deliver 3 lakh litres of fresh air per hour, BMC officials said.“We have installed 20 dust collectors along the roads and prominent junctions in some localities in north zone of the city. For air quality reading, we have installed two monitoring stations- one at Patia and another near Lingaraj Temple. From the reading we came to know that pollutant level is a bit high in those areas. In the first phase, north zone is being covered and in next phase, more dust collectors will be installed around Lingaraj shrine area in old town,” said BMC deputy commissioner (sanitation) N Ganesh Babu.Regarding how the dust sucker operates, Babu said polluted air is drawn in from the open atmosphere through a suction system. “The incoming air undergoes decompression to reduce its pressure and facilitate subsequent processing. The decompressed air is directed through dedicated channels into the treatment chamber,” he added.BMC officials said whatever pollutants the machine sucks or captures are wiped down into a dustbin by an automatic timer-controlled brush system. At this phase, it also to helps neutralise odours.“After treatment, the purified air is released back into the atmosphere as clean and breathable air,” Babu added.BMC officials said the machines have low maintenance and can operate on low power consumption. The machine is compatible with electricity, battery and solar system as well.To implement NCAP guideline and slash air pollution, BMC has been laying concrete paver blocks on either sides of roads (offset space along both sides of arteries) to prevent dust from coming out.While it ensures beauty and can help pedestrians walk on them, it can reduce air pollution. “We have also started putting green nets along the work sites to check dust from mixing with ambient air. We have also utilised dust generating places for landscaping and beautification,” the sanitation officer said.
