Two fine dust eaters to purify Cubbon Park air

Escaping from their polluted environs, Bengalureans often flock to Cubbon Park in the heart of the city for a dose of fresh air. But heavy traffic passing through the premier lung space has badly hit the quality of air in recent times.

In order to check pollution and keep the park clean, the Horticulture Department is installing two fine dust eaters that can absorb the suspended particulate matter (SPM) to give back clean air.

The air purifiers, manufactured by the German company Mann+Hummel, are being installed as a pilot scheme on the advice of noted ecologist Y N Yellappa Reddy. "A German delegation visited the KSPCB office recently and explained the workings of the machine. We have decided to use them in Cubbon Park. The company is giving them free of charge," a senior horticulture official said.

One machine will be installed in a corner of the park that has high air pollution while another will be mounted on a car that will move around absorbing the SPM, said Mahantesh Murgod, deputy director (horticulture) in charge of Cubbon Park. The machine can clean the air within a 200-300-metre radius.

The Horticulture Department had taken various steps to improve the air quality, such as banning vehicles at night and on weekends, but things didn't improve much. A 2017 study by the KSPCB actually showed a rise in dust levels in the air across the park. The dust in the air also impacted photosynthesis in plants, Murgod said and hoped the machines would solve many of these problems.

If the pilot scheme in Cubbon Park is successful, such air purifiers may be installed in other public places, a senior official in the state government told DH.