The West Bengal government has launched buses with air purifiers in the state capital, Kolkata, to bring down pollution levels in the city, said the state’s pollution control board.
* The Bus Roof Mounted Air Purification System (BRMAPS), named ‘Suddha Vayu’, is the first of its kind in India, said a statement issued by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB).
* “We have launched 20 such buses. It is a part of a pilot project in collaboration with scientists from IIT Delhi. We need to check the seasonal variations of the pollution levels and how the devices perform,” said Kalyan Rudra, chairman, WBPCB.
* The BRMAPS will also be fitted with sensors to measure the air quality of the ambient air – such as levels of particulate matter (fine inhalable particles measuring 7 - 30 times finer than the thickness of a human hair) on a real time basis, as the vehicle moves along the road.
* The air purifiers are fitted with high efficiency particulate absorbing filters and activate carbon filters to bring down levels of polluting gases and suspended particles by around 90%, it said.
* The real-time data will be sent to the Integrated Command and Control Centre of the WBPCB for further evaluation. Everyday pollution levels would be monitored for around 8 – 20 hours depending upon the time for which the bus plies.
* The air-conditioned buses have also been fitted with a Bus Inside Air Purification System (BIAPS) to clean up the air circulating inside the buses. Commuters would be able to breathe at least 50% cleaner air..
Source: Hindustan Times