Nayagarh: A Class IX girl here has made a gadget to contain the increasing dust pollution on highways, a report said Sunday.
The girl, Tapaswini Sahoo, is the daughter of Purnachandra Sahoo and a student of Nayagarh Girls’ High School.
Tapaswini, who dreams of becoming a scientist, built the simple machine with just `200. Her gadget attracted many and several people asked her about its functioning and efficacy in reducing pollution. She said the machine will greatly help in reducing dust pollution on highways.
She says the dust which floats in the air and causes accidents on highways can be greatly reduced by using the machine on vehicles.
Apart from this many types of pollutants float in the air and people inhale it when they travel on highways. The inhaled pollutants cause respiratory problems and diseases.
She credited her success to her father who inspired her to build the gadget to help motorists reduce pollution.
She built the gadget with simple things like a wooden box, two small pieces of nets, a sponge and a lubricated plate.
These items are arranged inside the box and the box is installed on all vehicles from bicycles to heavy vehicles.
The moving vehicle pulls the floating dust in the air and will hold it on the lubricated plates without releasing them outside. The size of the box will differ according to the size of vehicles.
Tapaswini goes to school on her bicycle with the dust catcher installed on it to show people how it works.
She said while bigger dust particles stick to the outer nets the smaller particles get filtered and stick to the oily plate.
But her project was not selected during a recent science exhibition in her school. That failed to disappoint her as she thinks that people will understand her efforts and realize its significance in containing pollution.
The dust catcher can be installed near the dickey of a motorbike and on both sides of a truck and other vehicles, she said.
The machine can also be installed on large hoardings in towns and highways to help reduce pollution.
The box when fitted with a light attract insects and traps them. A farmer can install this machine on his farmland at nights to keep off harmful insects.
PNN