Delhi’s air quality remained in the hazardous ‘severe plus’ category on Tuesday, with the overall air quality index (AQI) touching a shocking 494 at 6 am. The city is constantly shrouded in a thick layer of smog – a toxic mixture of smoke and fog – causing significant visibility problems and health concerns. Experts warn that long-term exposure to such hazardous air quality can lead to reduced life expectancy, heart disease and respiratory problems.
Amid growing concerns, a popular Indian-Chinese restaurant chain has launched an innovative initiative to tackle rising air pollution. Hong’s Kitchen has launched an anti-pollution billboard titled ‘Soup-er Hero’ with multiple outlets across Delhi. In collaboration with experts, the chain identified Delhi’s most polluted “choke points” and installed billboards, bus shelter installations and custom sculptures featuring giant soup bottles equipped with anti-smog systems.
These establishments have a unique feature – a ‘smog gun’ on the back of the soup bottle that releases recycled water as a mist to help reduce air pollution.
How does this work?
PM 2.5 particles are microscopic, cancer-causing pollutants that can enter the bloodstream through the lungs. The mist emitted from the smog gun attaches to these particles, causing them to become heavy and settle, reducing their concentration in the air.
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Anti-smog billboards have been strategically placed in key areas of the city and its neighboring areas. These include billboards in Gurugram and Moti Bagh, bus shelters near Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Laxmi Nagar and custom sculptures in Nehru Place, Noida and Gurugram.
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The restaurant has also promised to donate Rs 10 from every soup bottle sold to the Swechha Foundation, an environmental NGO that addresses air and water pollution and promotes sustainable development in India.
What do you think of this unique effort to improve Delhi’s air? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
