NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has moved into the next phase of its Innovation Challenge to tackle air pollution, with 22 final entries now being prepared for on-ground trial runs across the city.
The trial devices will be installed at identified pollution hotspots in the coming weeks to rigorously measure their effectiveness in reducing particulate pollution and other key parameters.
Chairing a review meeting on the next steps of the Innovation Challenge, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday took stock of the work done over the past several weeks, including the finalisation of testing protocols, the availability and readiness of devices, and coordination with innovators for deployment. The minister directed officials to ensure that the trials are “scientifically robust, transparent and geared towards quick decision-making on what works best for the National Capital.”
Out of the total 284 entries received from across the country in the Innovation Challenge, 22 devices have progressed to the trial-run stage on the recommendation of the expert technical committee. These include 13 solutions focused on controlling vehicular pollution, such as vehicle-mounted air purifiers, retrofit emission-control systems, bio-alkaline exhaust scrubbers and other retrofit technologies for buses, trucks and gensets.
The minister commended the committee and innovators for their sustained efforts. The committee has held deliberations to frame and refine testing protocols, interacted closely with innovators to guide them on deployment plans, assessed the readiness of each device, and identified specific requirements for installing both static and vehicle-based systems.
“This Innovation Challenge is a mission to find real, measurable solutions that can cut pollution on the ground. As these 22 devices go into trial at some of Delhi’s most affected sites, our only benchmark will be evidence: which technologies deliver clear, consistent reductions in pollution and can be scaled up quickly,” Sirsa said.