HYDERABAD: In a bid to clean up the city’s air, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation ( GHMC ) is set to install 100 outdoor air pollution purifiers. These devices will filter toxic substances which can cause difficulties in breathing. While the civic body is aiming to put up 100 units to begin with, the number might go up to 500 if things go well.The purifiers are Internet of Things (IoT) ready units, which filter pollutants like PM2.5, PM10, carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hydrocarbons (HC) which have been emitted into the atmosphere. The IoT integration control panel remotely controls the units and logs data.Sources in the civic body said they will be installed first at high pollution zone such as traffic signals with high traffic congestion. Once successful, the purifiers will be placed at other key locations such as metro stations, toll booths, railway stations, airports and fuel stations. An agreement for purifiers will be signed this week, said a GHMC official with knowledge of the issue.“A 100 locations have been identified for the purifiers. We are waiting for approval at the standing committee meeting to take place tomorrow,” said GHMC zonal commissioner (West Zone), Hari Chandana Dasari. Each unit improves the air quality within a radius of 60 feet. It will have a capacity of 2,000 CFM (cubic feet of air per minute). The purifiers are already in use in Maharashtra and Delhi and the same models will be replicated in the city.Speaking about the device, Sanjay Bahuguna, founder of Bahuguna Techmotives Private Limited which will be providing the units said: “We have a device which pulls in polluted air and locally purifies it.”Asked about the costs, Bahuguna said: “While each unit costs around Rs 75,000 to manufacture, the Outdoor Pollution Controller unit will be installed at public places for free. Our revenue model ensures sustainability of the project as well as unit maintenance. The maintenance cost for public installations will be covered through sponsor displays that act like advertisement boards and generate revenue to take care of upkeep.”Post-installation, regular monitoring of the devices would be done and pollutants analysed. A detailed plan will be developed based on the study to suggest measures to manage air quality.