Currently, most instruments used in India for air pollution monitoring are imported

NEW DELHI: Taking in what it called an important step towards environmental governance and reducing dependence on foreign certification systems, India has set up the world's second National Environmental Standard Laboratory (NESL) here at the CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL) that will develop testing and calibration facilities for air pollution monitoring equipment in the country.Currently, most of the instruments used in India for air pollution monitoring are imported. These imported instruments, however, come with production certification from international agencies based on the environmental conditions of the certificate issuing countries in Europe or the US.

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Since environmental conditions of those countries are very different from the conditions prevalent in India, it affects the quality of measurements by the instrument operating for a long time in Indian conditions, CSIR-NPL scientists explained.

At present, only the UK has such a laboratory.The NESL, inaugurated by Union science & technology minister Jitendra Singh on 80th Foundation Day celebrations of CSIR-NPL - the apex institution for metrology and custodian of India's national standards - Monday, will now not only deal with the anomaly arising out of different environmental conditions but also help in manufacturing of standardised monitoring equipment.

The difference in temperature, humidity, pollution mix and high dust load due to difference in environmental or weather conditions of certifying countries often affected the long-term reliability and transparency of the data generated in India.The NESL will, however, allow manufacturers, industries, and municipal agencies to validate performance within the country, ensuring credible data for the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), industrial emission audits, and smart-city monitoring networks.