Mumbai is taking a proactive approach to combating air pollution. The city authorities have planned to hire two dozen (24) anti-smog guns as a part of this initiative.
However, the city has received only four of these machines in the past month. The rest will arrive by the end of the year. This delay has led to a distribution challenge, with one machine each for the island city and the eastern suburbs and two for the western suburbs.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been actively working on improving the city's air quality post-monsoon. They had planned to purchase thirty new anti-smog guns, which would spray water into the air to settle dust particles.
Anti-smog guns are attached to a vehicle-mounted water tank. They spray water at high pressure, turning it into a thin mist that clears the air of dust and other pollutants. A 6,000-litre water tank will be installed on the chassis of these machines.
These machines are mostly available in the northern states only to combat fog. It was feared that by the time the machines arrived, winter would be gone. Hence, the plan had to be postponed. Instead, BMC decided to temporarily rent two dozen anti-smog guns. So far, four machines have arrived from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
The remaining anti-smog guns will arrive by December 25. These machines will be mounted on vehicles and deployed in the most polluted areas of the city.
BMC currently has three operational anti-smog guns out of the eight they previously owned. With only one mounted vehicle and four on tractors, it is a challenge to cover every ward.
To further reduce air pollution, the civic body also uses water tankers to clear roads. These measures have proven effective in improving the city's air quality index.
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