Anti – Pollution Towers

Congratualations,  Smt Jyotsnaben  Mehta

[  BMC Corporator  /  Counsillor219.d@mcgm.gov.in
  ]

For what ?

For moving a notice of motion to set up Anti Pollution Towers in Mumbai to combat air pollution

(   Mumbai: In a bid to breathe clean, BJP corporator demands anti-pollution tower    )

While moving the notice, Smt Mehta said :

" Delhi and other states have already installed the anti-pollution tower that can remove nearly 90 per cent of the particulate matter ".

She added that the tower can clean air up to 3 km radius and over 75000 people will get clean air to breathe. “

Has this been tried abroad ?

Yes

In Chinese city of Xian, a 100 meter ( 328 feet ) tall air filtration tower was erected last year . It consumes very little electric power and has managed to reduce pollution by 15 %

The full-size version could reach as high as 500 meters ( 1,640 feet  ) while the surrounding greenhouses could cover nearly 30 square kilometers ( 11.6 square miles ).

(  China built the world’s biggest air purifier – and it is actually working  ) 

Any examples of this technology in India ?

 Yes

A startup named Kurin System in India has come up with plans for a "City Cleaner" that will be 40 feet tall and 20 feet wide on each side . It could purify 32 million cubic meters of air everyday  

As per the report, Kurin’s co-founder, Pavneet Singh Puri said that the new air purifier will scrub air in the vicinity of three kms and provide clean air for 75,000 people.

It will feature 48 fans to pull in the polluted air and push out clean air, which will run on electricity generated using solar panels. It will be constructed with locally sourced materials.

The company says that the air purifier tower can be completed within four months once the project gets a green light from the authorities and is expected to cost Rs 1.75 crores to 2 crores per tower

 ( India could soon get a 40 feet tall air purifier tower in Delhi to combat rising air pollution levels    )

How many towers will be needed and what would these cost ?

Each tower ( of Kurin Systems ) claims to purify air in an area of 28.27 sq km ( radius of 3 km )

#   Delhi ( NCR ) , with an area of 1484 sq km will need at least  53 towers ( Rs 106 cr @ Rs 2 cr per tower )

#   Mumbai with an area of 603 sq km will need 20 towers ( Rs 40 cr @ Rs 2 cr per tower )

     Even if the claims of the tower manufacturers are exaggerated and the actual number of towers required is

     three times , the capital funds required are insignificant in the annual expense budgets of the municipalities

     This requirement of funds must be viewed in the context of BMC ( MCGM ) having a Fixed Deposit of Rs

    69,135 crores !

     

Where can these be erected ? 

Having a base of 20 feet X 20 feet ( = 400 sq ft ), these towers cannot be erected on the footpaths

Ideal places would be

#   Public Gardens

#   Compounds of Government Offices / Municipal Schools

#   Compounds of Residential Complexes  /  Co-Op Housing Societies

Can we think of offering any “ incentives “ to Resi Complexes / Housing Societies ?

If following incentives are offered , builders and societies will rush to set up such towers , in all the polluted cities :

[ A ]     Incentive by the Municipal Corporation

           #  No licensing fees for tower-sides used as hoardings

[ B ]    Incentive by the State Government

           #   20 % rebate from Property Tax payable by the Societies which put up such towers

[ C ]    Incentive by the Central Government

           #   No income tax on “ Adverising Revenue “ earned by the Housing Society, by renting out the sides of the

                Tower that can be used as HOARDINGS ( 20 feet wide x 40 feet tall )

                At present , in metro cities, road-side hoardings cost anywhere between Rs 30,000 to Rs 30 lakh per

                month to rent out . 

At these rates, Housing Societies can earn a very substantial monthly income by

               offering to rent out these towers – as with renting their terraces for mobile towers

  

If using towers as hoardings is commercially lucrative , why not Bombay Municipality do it on its own ?

Absolutely !  Why not ?

Can the tower manufacturers be motivated to sell these for FREE or for 50 % discount to municipalities  ?

Of course !

Just give them the advertising / leasing / renting rights , on the towers for 10 years – and no Income Tax

As simple as that . No other motivation required !

Why does this proposal needs URGENT / TOP PRIORITY examination ?

Just one look at the following statistics will convince you :

#   33 % of global edible food is wasted

#   56 % of such wastage happens in rich countries

#   Meat production currently uses 77 % of agricultural land

#   Agri production consumes 70 % of global water

#   8 million tons of plastic goes into oceans each year

#   Exposure to indoor/outdoor air and water 

pollution costs at least 9 MILLION lives annually

#   Top 10 % emitting countries emit 45 % of total global GHG emissions

#   Bottom 50 % emitters emit only 13 % of total global GHG emissions

#   Climate mitigation actions for achieving Paris Agreement target will cost US $ 22 trillion

#   Combined health benefits from reduced air pollution could amount to $  54 trillion

#   Air pollution causes 6 – 7 million early deaths annually

#   In India alone , some 12 lakh persons die an early death due to air pollution

#   15 of the top 20 most polluted cities of the World, are in India

#   In all the major cities of India, about 800 to 1000 tons of pollutants are being emitted into the air daily

( source : Millions to die prematurely by ’50 due to pollution: UN )

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14   March  2019

Rsvp :  hcp@RecruitGuru.com