LAGATAR24 DESK
Noida: In a recent move to combat air pollution, the Noida authority directed apartment owner associations and builders to install anti-smog guns atop high-rises, aiming to reduce pollution levels this winter. The directive, sent by Noida’s public health department on October 9, 2024, is part of Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), enforced across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). However, residents have opposed the mandate, citing the high cost of these devices and demanding that the authority cover the expense instead.
“The Noida authority should bear the cost for this and not residents. We can rent them our terraces and let them take back the anti-smog guns once they are no longer needed,” said Rajiva Singh, president of the Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Association (NOFAA). “Also, only recycled water should be used in these guns as we cannot waste Ganga water on this.”
The authority estimates that each anti-smog gun costs approximately ₹12 lakh, making it an expensive installation for residents. The Noida authority itself is investing ₹3.5 crore to procure 30 anti-smog guns for public areas as part of its initiative to improve the city’s air quality. “Anti-smog guns in housing towers will benefit residents living in these condos the most,” stated SP Singh, general manager of Noida’s public health department. “We have asked building owners to install them as part of their social responsibility.”
Currently, Noida’s air quality index (AQI) stands at 248, placing it in the “poor” category and marking it as harmful to health. Despite this, citizen groups argue that the authority’s annual budget of approximately ₹7,000 crore should be allocated to fund air quality measures directly. Additionally, residents of sectors 74 through 77 have voiced concerns over recent concreting projects along city roads, which they say undermine previous green, dust-free zones developed to curb pollution.
“Several orders from the National Green Tribunal emphasize the need for open green spaces to allow rainwater to percolate and reduce dust. Yet, the authority has tendered a project to replace these green zones with concrete,”said Amit Gupta, a resident and social activist from Sector 77. Residents have submitted formal objections to the Noida authority, advocating for the protection of these green zones.
The Noida authority has yet to respond to resident concerns regarding funding and preservation of dust-free zones, but the discussion around sustainable solutions to air pollution in NCR continues.
