Giant lungs to be set up in city, will show how toxic the air you breathe is

Nagpur: After Mumbai, Nagpur becomes the state’s second city to get the high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter lungs for testing toxicity in the air.
Called ‘The Billboard That Breathes’, this interactive art installation comprises of giant-sized breathing lungs which will be put up on the pavement outside Krims Hospital at Central Bazaar Road, Ramdaspeth.
To be launched on Saturday at the hands of mayor Sandip Joshi, the initiative has been jointly taken up by Jhatkaa.org, a digital advocacy organization, Mumbai’s environmental NGO Waatavaran and Nagpur’s Centre for Sustainable Development and Krims Hospital.
The chalk-white lungs have been created using HEPA filters, which are also used in operation theatres, anti-pollution masks and other places to trap dust. “The lungs have also been fitted with fans that will suck in the air to mimic the functioning of lungs while breathing,” said CSD director Leena Buddhe.
Over the next few weeks, the particulate matter from dust pollution and vehicular emissions will start getting trapped in the HEPA filters. “This will lead to the lungs changing colour — from chalk-white to brown to black. The billboard is also fitted with a digital air quality monitor that will record and display the real-time Air Quality Index (AQI),” added Buddhe.
Similar lungs installed in Mumbai in January this year turned black in just two weeks. The lungs installed in New Delhi in November last year turned black in just six days while it took 25 days to the ones put up in Bengaluru to change colour.
The organizations plan to put up the lungs in Nagpur for a month during which different activities will be held everyday to engage public and create mass awareness.
According to the organizations, they chose to install the lungs in Nagpur not only because it’s the second capital of the state but also “one of the most polluted areas and a non-attainment city”. As reported by TOI earlier, Maharashtra, at 17, has the highest number of polluted cities in the country identified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
At a time when environment activists have been questioning the air quality monitoring done by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), having these lungs will ensure that the real picture of city’s air quality comes out. TOI earlier reported that despite in the dip in mercury levels, the city’s AQI remained “too good to be true” as per experts.