LAHORE:
Pakistan’s first ‘smog tower’ was installed in Lahore to reduce air pollution and smog.
According to authorities, the performance of the smog tower will be monitored. Based on the results, a decision will be made on the installation of more smog towers.
The smog tower was installed in Mehmood Booti area of Lahore in collaboration with Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDU).
Director General of the Punjab Environment Protection Department Imran Hamid Shaikh said the smog tower will be able to leak air up to 50,000 cubic feet per hour in an area of one kilometer. The tower’s field test will be carried out for 15 days, during which its ability to clean pollutants caused by smokestacks, industries and landfills will be tested.
Chemical contaminants in the air will be monitored by air quality monitors. If the experiment is successful, a decision will be made to install more smog towers. He further said that the experiment is being carried out with the support of private sector engineers. The environmental protection departments will support private entities that help with the cause. The Punjab government has not made any expenditure on the experimental tower.
Talat Qamar, vice president of the private company that developed the smog tower, said the tower is 20 feet high and the height can be extended to 50 feet. The tower will consume a very low amount of electricity and could be powered by solar, battery and regular electricity.
He said the tower has been manufactured locally after a detailed study of smog towers manufactured by reputed companies. The cost of the locally developed tower is three times lower than those manufactured abroad.
He said that before installing the smog tower in Lahore, the company conducted tests in the laboratory and then at various sites in Islamabad and Gujranwala. Mahmood Booti area has been selected because it has the highest air pollution. Just after the installation of the tower in this area, the AQI here dropped from 1600 to 250 in a few days. If 200 towers are installed in different parks, squares and commercial areas across Lahore, the city can be smog-free, he said.
