Central pollution board claims Delhi's Anand Vihar smog tower cuts bad air by 20%, cost over Rs 10 lakh a month

Amid ongoing controversy over the effectiveness of Delhi’s Anand Vihar smog tower, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has stated in a recent RTI response that the installation is fully operational and continues to reduce particulate matter levels by “up to 20 per cent” within a 200–400 metre radius.

The claim comes despite multiple media reports over the past year indicating that the tower was either defunct or functioning only intermittently.

In a contrasting position, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) had told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in October 2023 that the technology itself was impractical, noting that more than 40,000 similar towers would be required to achieve any meaningful improvement in Delhi’s overall air quality.

Commissioned in 2021 at a cost of Rs 21–22 crore and operated by Tata Projects Limited, the tower’s performance assessment is backed by CPCB using a joint evaluation by IIT-Bombay and IIT-Delhi.

However, CPCB’s latest efficiency figures mark a sharp decline from its own earlier assessment. In an RTI reply from October 2022 to the same applicant, Amit Gupta, the board had reported significantly higher pollutant reduction levels—8–39 per cent for PM2.5 and 19–50 per cent for PM10 within a closer 20–100 metre radius.

“Now they are simply saying up to 20 per cent at 200–400 metres. The drastic downward revision is surprising and disappointing,” Gupta said. He also questioned the credibility of the new claims, noting that they contradict several ground reports showing the tower operating poorly or not at all.

Gupta further highlighted the tower’s high operating expenditure. The monthly maintenance fee alone is Rs 10.27 lakh, excluding electricity costs, taxes, GST, and an additional 8 per cent project management charge paid to NBCC—bringing the actual monthly operational cost to an estimated Rs 11–12 lakh. These expenses were incurred even during periods when the tower was reportedly switched off.

The overall earmarked cost for the pilot project was around Rs 18.52 crore, excluding project management charges.

Delhi currently has two smog towers. The second installation, located at Baba Kharak Singh Marg in Connaught Place and built for Rs 22 crore by the Delhi government in August 2021, is currently non-functional.