Significance of National Environmental Standard Laboratory (NESL)

The establishment of India's National Environmental Standard Laboratory (NESL) is a crucial step towards enhancing environmental governance and reducing dependence on foreign certification systems.

Objectives and Functions

• Indigenous Capabilities: The NESL will develop local testing and calibration capabilities specifically for air pollution monitoring equipment.
• Current Reliance: Most air quality monitoring instruments in India are currently imported and certified by international agencies, primarily from Europe and the US.
• Environmental Conditions: Instruments certified for foreign conditions often face performance issues in India due to differing environmental conditions.

Global Context

• International Benchmark: The United Kingdom is currently the only other country with a similar facility.
• Performance Degradation: Prolonged operation in Indian conditions can degrade the performance and accuracy of imported instruments.

Inauguration and Impact

• Inauguration: The NESL was inaugurated by Union science and technology minister Jitendra Singh during the 80th Foundation Day celebrations of CSIR–NPL.
• Addressing Anomalies: The lab will address issues arising from the environmental condition disparities between India and certifying countries.
• Support for Standardisation: The facility will also aid in the development and manufacture of standardized air quality monitoring equipment.

Challenges in Air Quality Monitoring

• Variability Factors: Temperature, humidity, pollution mix, and high dust load are key factors affecting the reliability of air quality data in India.
• Long-term Reliability: The NESL aims to improve the long-term reliability and transparency of air quality data generated in the country.