By Fayyaz Butt
The Lahore City Air Purification Tunnel Systems (LCAPTS) is implementing a fully underground Yellow Line Metro Train project.
The line may have 18 smart stations. It is intended to modernize Lahore’s public transportation system. The aim of the project is to provide an environmentally friendly transit system. It is a 24-kilometer line stretching from Thokhar Niaz Baig to Harbanspura on or near Canal Road.
What we wish to add to this project is a pilot project of an Air Purification System. This system output shall be eco-friendly. In summer, this system helps us to reduce the environment temperature around the yellow line, and in winter, it shall increase the temperature of the environment.
We shall dig out a tunnel under the canal 6 to 10 feet deep, which shall start from Harbanspura to Thokhar Niaz Baig. We shall pump a specific volume of air as input into a tunnel from that 18 smart stations of the Metro Train using them as air pumping station and have output as treated air from more than 100 realizing points.
By pumping air in the tunnel and passing through filters and purification systems and releasing fresh air, we could potentially reduce pollutants and particulate matter (PM) in the air. The concept of channelling this cleaned air through underground tunnels and releasing it in public places could help improve air quality, especially in areas with high foot traffic.
This concept is also very viable in houses as well. We can have a tunnel in our small garden as a source of air input, and realizing the air in different rooms can cause a noticeable change in the atmospheric temperature of the house.
It shall decrease our energy cost of air-conditioning.
We move further, we can have tunnels in public gardens, pushing air and realizing it on roads can also change the atmospheric temperature.
We believe it is a novel idea that we shall await implementation. We hereby also request to Chief Minister of Punjab to look into it.
