This device can purify air over 500 sqm

NEW DELHI: On a day when Delhi’s air quality level was ‘good’ on CPCB’s Air Quality Index (AQI), falling to as low as 38, Union environment minister Dr Harsh Vardhan unveiled two localised pollution control devices in the capital. The device, called WAYU (Wind Augmentation Purifying Unit), was installed at ITO and Mukarba Chowk. The minister said they were planning to install additional 54 such devices at busy intersections before October 15.


The device has been developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) as a part of a project being funded by Department of Science and Technology, officials said. Vardhan said that while this particular device is capable of purify air in an area of 500 square meters, they have plans of developing much larger devices that can cover an area of 10,000 square meters.

“The device only consumes half a unit of electricity to run for 10 hours and has a maintenance cost of Rs 1,500 per month. We are in the process of developing a bigger version,” said Vardhan.

According to Dr Rakesh Kumar, director at NEERI, the each device has been built at a cost of Rs 60,000. “The larger device is being planned at a cost of Rs 2 lakhs. Meanwhile, we will be installing 54 more devices, which will be encased to ensure no one can break or vandalise the unit,” said Kumar.

WAYU makes use of filters to remove particulate matter, alongside activated carbon and UV lamps to remove gases like carbon monoxide and VOCs. The device has been built to take in air, purify it and release cleaner air back into the surroundings, officials said.

Experts, however, feel the effectiveness of such devices is still up to question and more work needs to be put into controlling the source of emissions. “We first need to establish how effective such devices are and the role outdoor conditions play in air quality around the device. Even abroad, such devices have been used in recreational places like parks but not to as a regulative measure to curb pollution. More efforts need to go into curbing and cutting emission at source, especially at busy intersections,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director at CSE.