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With Winter coming, air pollution in India is going to once again hit crisis levels soon. At the individual level we can wear masks and use air purifiers in our homes, but more broadly, cities and municipalities have also been installing outdoor air purifiers over several years now — but do these actually work? Have smog towers and outdoor air purifiers made an impact on the air quality in India? Despite the outdoor air purifiers and smog towers, the PM2.5 concentration in India air is currently 5.2 times above the WHO annual air quality guideline. The air quality in India is simply not getting better even after all the money and efforts spent to curb the air pollution problem in the country. We talked to a number of experts to try and understand why this is, and whether there are any better solutions possible.

Cities like Mumbai have been deploying Wind Augmentation Purifying Unit (WAYU) since 2015, in an effort to cut down the air pollution problem in India. Major Indian cities like Delhi and Bengaluru have also resorted to installing outdoor purifiers and smog towers along the city roads in an effort to curb pollution problems. Delhi got a new smog tower in Connaught Place in August this year.

Yet, India stood third in a list of top ten countries that had the worst air quality in 2020, coming only behind Bangladesh and Pakistan. According to research by the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW) — a Delhi-based policy research institute — Delhi’s air quality in winter 2020 was worse than winter 2019 despite the lockdown. The study also found out that Delhi residents were exposed to air that does not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (60 µg/m3) for more than half of 2020 despite low economic activity levels for close to eight months (March to November) due to the pandemic-induced lockdown.

According to Tanushree Ganguly, an air quality researcher from CEEW, the air pollution that India is facing is an urban infrastructure problem. “If there is an unpaved road, it is bound to have more dust,” Ganguly said. “Vehicular pollution also results in air pollution. In winters, a significant amount of pollution also comes from biomass that people burn for their heating requirements.”

Are outdoor air purifiers a solution to air pollution problem?

WAYU devices, jointly developed by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) have been around since 2015. The Central Pollution Control Board had installed WAYU units across some major locations in Delhi in 2018.

“Its creators claim it can reduce pollution at busy traffic junctions by 40-60 percent,” Dr. Prashant Gargava, member secretary of the Central Pollution Control Board, had said at the time of installation.

“The air pollution levels change depending on the time it was measured,” Ganguly said. “So when was it measured, in what area is the air quality being improved — is it just within ten metres of the air purifiers or within 500 metres of the air purifier — all these factors need to be considered to show that it is really making any impact. I have not come across any publicly available research or database which clearly says that WAYU devices have actually impacted air quality in the 500 metre radius.”

“There is a constant dynamism in the system and you are not just trying to address sources of pollution which are present at the moment; you are also trying to address the sources which are outside the city,” she added. “I’m not sure how these filters are able to cater to these varying dynamics outdoors. I think the idea is to have credible evidence on their impact before we go ahead and have them across the city.”

Vivel Chattopadhyay, Senior Programme Manager of the Clean Air Programme at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a research and advocacy organisation based in Delhi said that apart from the installation costs, outdoor air purifiers come with several added costs.

This includes the cost of maintenance, cost of the filters which will have to be changed periodically, components like sensors which require periodic calibration, operational costs, manpower, the cost of the land which is being occupied by the air pollutants and more. These are not easy to solve problems, but the companies making these solutions are also aware of them and working on solutions.

“We have nano-filters in our outdoor air purifiers which can be reused up to four times, thus saving a lot of maintenance costs, “ said Rajeev Krishna, founder of ATechTron, a product development company based in Bengaluru. ATechTron have installed their outdoor air purifiers in locations including Marathahalli junction, Whitefield, and PR Nagar in Bengaluru.

How can we really solve the air pollution problem?

CEEW had suggested in their research that Delhi needs a dedicated air quality forecasting cell to facilitate the rollout of preventive measures. “If we have the forecast for the next 72 hours, we can clearly see the contribution ratio to the pollution — for example, urban dust at night is the highest,” said Ganguly. “Perhaps, this is due to the trucks at night. The government can take measures to cut out the activities which they really can through forecasting — it’s very difficult to execute these activities due to the significant economic repercussions.”

“Wherever in the world where pollution reduction has happened in a big manner, the solution has been cleaner fuel and technology working to controlling pollution from the sources, better assessment and study of where the pollution is coming from,” said Chattopadhyay.

Chattopadhyay added that the amount of money that is being spent on outdoor air purifiers can be used to cut down the emission from the sources. “The same amount of money can be spent to buy electric buses, you can have waste collection and segregation centres. That will eliminate the source of the problems. That will give us better long term gains. Outdoor air purifiers are really futile efforts. Government is letting the pollution be released from the source. The emissions are taking place from industry, from vehicles, and multiple sources. Cutting down from the source will have a wider implication in terms of exposure too,” added Chattopadhyay.

Ganguly also suggested that the transit infrastructure, including waste collection, waste transport, and waste management infrastructure need to be improved. “In winters, a significant amount of pollution also comes from biomass that people burn for their heating requirements,” she noted. “The Delhi shelters are perhaps not able to cater to all the homeless people in Delhi. So I think it is also important how the government is planning on upgrading these existing shelters, so that at least their utilisation is better. At night, if these shelters can accommodate the homeless population, then their reliance on garbage or dry leaves for their heating requirements could be reduced.”

Chattopadhyay also added that tighter emission control norms must be in place. “Tighter emission control norms for power plants will lead to a reduction (in air pollution). The government has to put in the money into the right sources — cutting emissions from the sources and maintaining regulations. Smog towers are not a right policy decision. Such methods give a signal to the polluters that it is okay to pollute,” he said.

A bandage solution

Krishna, of ATechTron, disagreed with the researchers’ suggestions that forecasting and air quality monitoring is a better solution. He suggested that strategically placing outdoor air purifiers within a distance of two-three kilometres to each other throughout the city will surely lead to a reduction in air pollution.

Angad Daryani, founder of Praan, a deep tech startup which makes outdoor air purifiers also said that what the NCR government is doing with smog-free towers is non-scientific. When asked if outdoor air purifiers can really contribute to solving the pollution problem in India, he said that the outdoor air purifiers from Praan serve as a bandage solution to the pollution problem while we transition to cleaner energy.

I asked Ganguly if this was the case, but she remained unconvinced. “Let’s not call it a solution before we know for sure it is one,” she said. “Once the entire range of measures has been taken and if we still don’t see any significant impact, then perhaps this could be looked at as a solution. But this cannot precede all the other solutions. As a researcher, that is what I have an issue with.”


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Massive Steam Plume Spotted at Alaska’s Mount Spurr as Volcano May Erupt Soon

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Massive Steam Plume Spotted at Alaska’s Mount Spurr as Volcano May Erupt Soon

A large steam plume has been seen emerging from Mount Spurr in Alaska, signalling increased volcanic activity. Images shared by the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) on March 28 confirmed steam and gas emissions visible from the volcano’s summit and a northern vent. The volcano is located around 80 miles west of Anchorage and stands at 11,070 feet high. The experts have revealed that there could be a possible eruption in the coming weeks or months. However, nothing is certain yet.

Increased Signs of Unrest Reported

According to the latest update by the Alaska Volcano Observatory steam was observed rising from the summit on March 26. A smaller plume was also recorded from a fumarole on the volcano’s northern flank. No immediate changes in seismic activity or gas levels were detected during these observations as per the AVO statement.

The AVO had earlier mentioned in a March 11 update that a noticeable rise in gas emissions indicates fresh magma has moved into the crust beneath Mount Spurr. This has led scientists to assess the chance of an eruption in the near future. The observatory clarified that the exact timing of any eruption cannot be predicted yet.

Hazards and Possible Alerts

The observatory has cautioned that the volcano’s alert level might be raised if there are further signs of escalation. According to AVO, this may include persistent seismic tremors, increased gas emissions or visible surface changes. If an eruption occurs, possible hazards include ash clouds impacting flights, ashfall across nearby areas, pyroclastic flows and mudflows known as lahars.

The volcano last erupted in 1992. That eruption resulted in heavy ashfall and affected air travel in the region. AVO has advised residents and visitors to stay informed and follow safety instructions if alerts are raised.

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Study Identifies Plasma Formation as a Pseudostreamer

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Study Identifies Plasma Formation as a Pseudostreamer

A towering spiral of plasma has been recorded extending millions of kilometres from the Sun. The video was taken by the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter during an eight-hour period on October 12, 2022. A coronal mass ejection caused the plasma to rise from the Sun’s surface. The footage captured something which was never observed before. It showed a swirling motion in the solar wind. As per the latest report, scientists also recorded bright streaks that were moving across the frame. Researchers also revealed that these streaks appeared as pixelated lines, which might also ressemble like UFOs. Scientists later confirmed they were distant stars visible due to the imaging process.

Study Identifies Plasma Formation as a Pseudostreamer

The study published in The Astrophysical Journal revealed that the massive structure that appeared in the photos was a large pseudostreamer. It was formed near the Sun’s north pole after a solar flare erupted. The report further highlighted that the plasma reached 1.5 times the Sun’s width and remained visible for three hours. Scientists believes the twisting movement of the plasma was due to Alfvénic fluctuations. These fluctuations happen when waves of charged particles respond to magnetic disturbances. Scientists says the pseudostreamer’s location influenced its unique shape. Magnetic fields at the Sun’s poles are stronger than those near the equator.

Unusual Streaks Explained

The video also showed bright, half-dark lines crossing the screen. These lines appeared to move in a pattern similar to arcade game graphics. ESA confirmed that these were distant stars. The video’s editing technique made them appear as streaks rather than points of light. The Solar Orbiter’s movement against the background created this effect.

Solar Activity Expected to Intensify

The Sun is currently experiencing solar maximum. Flares and solar winds have increased since early 2024. The pseudostreamer in the video formed before this peak. Scientists were surprised by its early appearance. ESA’s Solar Orbiter continues to capture detailed images of solar wind. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and ESA’s Proba-3 mission are also studying these phenomena. More extreme solar winds are expected in the coming years.

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SpaceX Launches 27 Starlink Satellites on Falcon 9 Rocket, Booster Lands Safely

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SpaceX Launches 27 Starlink Satellites on Falcon 9 Rocket, Booster Lands Safely

SpaceX has sent another batch of satellites into orbit. On April 3, a Falcon 9 rocket launched 27 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The rocket lifted off at 9.02 p.m. Eastern Time and was followed by a successful landing of the first-stage booster on a drone ship stationed in the Pacific Ocean. This booster had already been used on four earlier flights. The satellites are expected to be deployed nearly an hour after takeoff if mission steps proceed as planned. The launch formed part of SpaceX’s continued effort to expand its low Earth orbit network.

Details from the Launch Mission Description

According to the mission information provided by SpaceX, the launch marked the fifth use of the same Falcon 9 booster. The drone ship used for recovery was named “Of Course I Still Love You”. This reusable system has become a routine part of SpaceX operations. The booster’s return was completed around eight minutes after liftoff. The launch contributed to the growing total of Starlink satellites which is aimed at building a global broadband network.

Launch Activity in 2025

This latest mission has brought the number of Falcon 9 launches in 2025 to 38. About two-thirds of those have supported the expansion of the Starlink constellation. Earlier this week, two separate launches were also completed. One of them included the Fram2 private astronaut mission, which carried crew members into orbit over Earth’s poles. That mission marked a new milestone in human spaceflight.

Starlink Satellite Network

Over 7100 satellites are now part of the Starlink constellation. The system is already the largest of its kind. SpaceX continues to work on expanding its coverage by launching more satellites regularly. The objective remains to provide consistent internet access worldwide, especially in regions with limited connectivity options.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


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