As toxic air gripped Delhi on Monday morning after Diwali celebrations, bringing the citywide Air Quality Index above 350 and driving several neighborhood readings into the severe category past 400, the Delhi government deployed anti-smog guns throughout the capital to cleanse the atmosphere using fine water mist. An anti-smog gun—alternatively known as a water cannon, mist gun, or spray gun—utilizes a vehicle-transported water tank and high-pressure propellers to disperse 30 to 100 liters of water per minute in 50-to-100-micron micro-droplets reaching heights of up to 150 feet, creating a protective canopy that binds particulate pollutants including PM2.5 and PM10 and precipitates them down to ground level. Though effective at suppressing dust in heavy industrial environments like coal processing, stone crushing, mining, and major demolition sites such as the former Noida twin towers, environmentalists caution that the apparatus functions only as a temporary localized fix with limited duration and reach rather than a sustainable pollution control measure. This emergency intervention follows a Sunday average AQI of 376 on November 8, 2026, where 22 out of 59 stations logged ‘very poor’ ratings and 12 recorded ‘severe’ conditions—highlighted by Jahangirpuri’s peak of 463—before late-night firecracker activity escalated particulate concentrations to extreme levels across the metropolis.
