AFP - Agence France Presse
Indian capital plans drone flights to combat air pollution crisis
New Delhi and the surrounding metropolitan area, which is home to more than 30 million people, consistently top the world rankings for winter air pollution
Staff writer, Agence France-Presse (AFP)
India's capital unveiled plans Friday to fly special drones to clear pollution from its smog-filled skies - a plan derided by experts as another “band-aid” solution to a public health crisis.
New Delhi and the surrounding metropolitan area, home to more than 30 million people, consistently top the world rankings for winter air pollution.
Air pollution is responsible for thousands of premature deaths each year and is an annual source of suffering for the capital's residents, with various piecemeal government initiatives failing to address the problem in any measurable way.
Friday marked the start of a test of an aerial drone tasked with flying around the city's pollution hotspots to spray water mist to clear harmful dust and particulate matter from the air.
“We have looked at different technological solutions and best practices from around the world,” said Delhi's environment minister, Gopal Rai, after launching the initiative.
“This drone is part of a pilot project by a company. We will study it, and if it is successful, we will take the initiative forward.”
Rai said that the Delhi government will launch a tender to buy two more drones once the test is over.
If implemented, the three drones would mitigate air pollution in a city that spans 1,500 square kilometers (580 square miles)—roughly the same size as Greater London.
A technician at the site, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, said that the drones carried a maximum of 16 liters of water and could only operate for a few minutes before needing to be refilled.
“But this is not the solution to air pollution,” Sunil Dahiya, of advocacy group Envirocatalysts, told AFP. ”These are band-aid solutions.”
Previous government efforts to mitigate air pollution, such as a public campaign encouraging drivers to turn off their engines at traffic lights, have failed to make an impact in the city.
In 2021, Delhi inaugurated a “smog tower,” a 25-meter tower in the city center with fans that filtered 1,000 cubic meters of air per second, to great fanfare.
The project was criticized by experts when it was launched and is no longer in operation.
“Cutting emissions at the sources of pollution is more important,” Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of the Center for Science and Environment in New Delhi, told AFP.
“We have enough studies to show that vehicles, industry, and construction are the areas that need intervention to solve the problem.”
The level of PM2.5 particles - the smallest and most harmful, which can enter the bloodstream - was recorded at over 300 micrograms per cubic meter in Delhi this week, according to monitoring company IQAir.
This figure is 20 times higher than the daily maximum recommended by the World Health Organization.
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