Test of smog-sucking device starts in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: An unusual torch-shaped structure is attracting attention at the Jubilee Hills petrol bunk. This is an outdoor pollution control unit, the first of its kind in the city and the second in any metro after Thane.

This small device, it is said, will suck in minute suspended particles, carbon monoxide and dust from the road, clearing the air around it. The unit has been built with patented technology for suction of polluted air, which is filtered and released into the environment.

The state government is awaiting feedback, and if all goes well, the equipment will be placed at traffic signals, toll booths, bus stands, railway stations and other areas prone to pollution. This outdoor pollution control unit comes in two varieties.

Model 1 is a torch-shaped structure that sucks in air from the top. There is a filter bed at the centre and cleaned air is released from the bottom. This has been designed for institutions and bus stops as the suction power operates within a 20-metre radius.

Model 2 is a rectangular-shaped structure made of stainless steel and has higher suction power. It is specially designed for traffic islands, medians and highly polluted junctions.

Both models have circular and rectangular gaps to capture polluted air and release breathable air. Mr Aleem Mohammed, who approached the Jubilee Hills petrol bunk to install the equipment, said, “Both models have been made with patented technology.

“The two have a suction of different radius and filter beds. The machines are automated. They do not need to be switched on or off,” he said. The machine would sense the suspended particles found in the air.

He said the equipment consumes two units a day and he would foot the bill. He said the filter beds needed cleaning every 20 days. “We have already placed the equipment and it will be made operational in a day or two. The state government is awaiting feedback.”