33 possible air pollution solutions progress to trial phase under challenge set by Delhi govt

About 33 prototypes shortlisted under Delhi government’s ‘innovation challenge’ to find solutions for the air pollution issue are set to enter the second phase for trials, according to officials familiar with the matter.

These include solar-powered pole-mounted dust traps, filterless smoke and dust carbon-capturing device, electrostatic mist sprayers, models for smart dust-suppression and monitoring systems, and retrofitting vehicle-mounted air purifiers to improve emission quality of cars.

These innovations — shortlisted from a vast pool of applications — had been showcased at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi in January this year, as a part of an exhibition. The challenge, launched by the Delhi government, aims to find practical solutions to tackle the city’s air pollution.

An official said, “The innovation challenge is now ready to enter the second phase, where trials will begin, and the government will be providing all necessary infrastructure required for the trials.”

The official added that the trials are expected to begin by first week of May and are likely to be wrapped up within the next three months.

An eight-member expert committee, headed by IIT Professor Sagnik Dey, will be reviewing the proposals to identify the most practical and cost-effective solutions for air pollution. Following the same, the finalised innovations will be adopted by the Delhi government for operationalisation.

Another official said that a meeting will be held on Monday to finalise the outline for the trial process and the kind of arrangements that would be required for the same.

“The plan so far is to move ahead with the trial of all 33 innovations. As we move forward, we shall start shortlisting the most efficient technologies,” the official said.

The winning projects will also be eligible for incentives from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, including Rs 5 lakh after successful expert committee evaluation and up to Rs 50 lakh for solutions verified by National Physical Laboratory-equivalent labs and recommended for government adoption, as per the guidelines.