New Delhi, Oct 24 (IANS) The world’s first-of-its-kind ‘Air Pollution Analysis’ facility was launched for Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) on Saturday by the Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh, setting the stage for real-time identification of sources of air pollution.
Known as ‘Integrated Atmospheric Chemistry and Aerosol Toxicity Analysis Laboratory ‘ (AATAL), it will help scientists distinguish between different sources of air pollution, including vehicular emissions, industrial activity, biomass and crop-residue burning, construction and road dust, and pollutants transported from surrounding regions, an official statement said.
Describing it as a first-of-its-kind integrated facility in the world, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that Delhi-NCR had been chosen in view of the serious public concern over air pollution.
He added that the facility has been established under ‘Mission Mausam’ announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthen scientific understanding of atmospheric pollution and provide actionable evidence for air-quality management in Delhi-NCR.
He said the facility would take air-quality assessment beyond simply reporting pollution levels to identifying the composition of pollutants, their sources, their relative contributions and their potential health implications, while providing real-time information and advance forecasts to support timely action.
The inauguration took place at Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM)’s Delhi Branch in the presence of T. Srinivasa Kumar, Ministry of Earth Sciences Secretary; A. Suryachandra Rao, IITM Director; and IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mahapatra, the statement said.
The laboratory brings together advanced atmospheric measurement instruments, detailed chemical analysis, pollution-source identification and decision-support capabilities within an integrated framework.
Addressing the gathering, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said India had made substantial progress over the past 10–12 years in air-quality forecasting and analysis.
He said the new facility represents a significant step forward because it would help establish not only how much pollution is present in the atmosphere, but also what it consists of and where it originates.
“Earlier, the discussion would largely revolve around whether the pollution level was 100 or 200. This facility will help us understand the composition of pollution as well as the contribution of different sources. This is important for addressing the concerns of the people of Delhi and ensuring that action is based on scientific evidence,” the Union Minister added.
“By estimating the relative contribution of different pollution sources, the facility will help the authorities understand which activities are driving poor air quality at a particular time and where interventions may be most effective,” he said.
–IANS
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