Bharat Heavy Electricals to Install UP’s First Air Pollution Control Tower

Uttar Pradesh's first air pollution control tower is set to come up along the DND expressway in Noida within two months. The tower will be a pilot project which would be installed by the Noida Authority in collaboration with the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, they said. The tower will be 20 metres tall and 4.5 metres in diameter, and it will be able to improve air quality in an area of one square kilometre. “Enabling Noida to breathe better! An air pollution control tower will be set up on the green belt at DND Expressway with support from BHEL. This pilot project will help improve the air quality in an area of 1 sq. km. This will be the first of its kind in the state,” said Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari. “The tower is expected to be installed within two months. BHEL is funding the project under its CSR initiative, and the operational cost of the project shall be shared between BHEL and the Noida Authority in a 50-50 ratio," Maheshwari told.  According to the officials, the government-run BHEL will be manufacturing the air pollution control towers and the Noida Authority will be providing them space and location for operations. More such towers are in the offing in Noida after the installation of the first one, a BHEL official told PTI, and while Maheshwari said the future course of action would depend on the success of the pilot project.  Noida, adjoining Delhi in the national capital region, witnesses increased levels of air pollution during the winters. The air quality index (AQI) often slips into poor, very poor and severe levels, impacting people's health