Like all end-of-pipe solutions, whether for effluents or for emissions,

investments such as smog towers or effluent treatment plants have

been established to be futile and economically unfeasible in the long
run. The only solution is to reduce harmful emissions.

Some of the immediate measures that can be taken include stopping

usage of all diesel generators (a law exists but it is not being
implemented), massive adoption of electric vehicles, strict policies to
curb construction dust, shutting down coal plants and forcing
industries to adopt methods of reducing emissions.

So why is Delhi installing it?

The government is desperate to find a solution, any solution, even
untested. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India
has six of the top 10 most polluted cities in the world, with Delhi on the
top of the list. A 2020 study in The Lancet found there were 1.67
million deaths in India attributable to air pollution in 2019, including
almost 17,500 in Delhi. The Supreme Court in January 2020 directed
the central government to construct a smog tower to reduce pollution
at Anand Vihar and the Delhi government to install another such
structure at Connaught Place in three months.

So what is the solution?