This is what govt is now doing to ensure Delhiites breathe clean air

Pollution! It is a word that scares Delhiites no end. Pollution fear is so high that whenever we hear about its high level being tom-tommed, even before the related disease affects us in any way, we start stressing over it! Instead, have we ever stopped to think  whether the numbers are true or not? Or have we accepted them unquestionably? Till now, exactly what the pollution levels are was just being guessed at! Shocking, but true, there is no standard mechanism available to measure levels of pollution! Well good news is on the way. Not only is the government working on a project to find out exactly what the pollution level is in your area, it will also implement policies on ground to ensure the air you breathe is clean!  The government is working on a plan to set a standard to measure exact levels of pollution. 

For this purpose, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), functional under the environment ministry, has approached the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) asking it to create standards of pollution that measures the pollutant content in the air. Now, NPL will use its system to study the range of pollutant and provide accurate data on the level of the content of pollutants in the air. Ironically, there is no proof that certifies the data on pollution that was being provided by the existing systems so far, which was being used by CPCB. The systems being used in India to monitor the scale of pollution is not calibrated in accordance with Indian environment that is humid. 

Terms of Reference of National Physical Laboratory (NPL)

• The NPL, which makes the standard of measurement in several areas, has been tasked to certify the existing machines/systems that are available across India to measure the level of pollution. It has set a target to complete the entire project within two years. 

Working on the project, the NPL has installed a wind tunnel and PM 2.5 machine to check the pollutant particles in the air. NPL will calibrate the pollution measurement machines and will be examining the level of pollutants in the air. 

To ensure the plan is successful, the environment department and NPL have decided to meet on April 26, 2018. During the meeting, the two institutions will also be deciding the cost for implementation of the entire project. 

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Hope, the new mechanism and standard system being created at NPL of measuring pollution and its content will definitely allow people to know the truth and allow the government to bring some policies or systems to curb it at the earliest.