Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on Saturday inaugurated the Integrated Atmospheric Chemistry and Aerosol Toxicity Analysis Laboratory (AATAL), a first-of-its-kind facility designed to analyse air pollution and identify its sources in real time across Delhi-NCR.
Established under the Centre’s Mission Mausam at the India Institute of Tropical Meteorology’s Delhi branch, the laboratory will analyse pollutants, including PM2.5, toxic metals and atmospheric aerosols, to assess their sources, relative contributions and potential health impacts.
The facility will help scientists distinguish pollution caused by vehicular emissions, industries, crop-residue burning, construction dust and pollutants transported from neighbouring regions.
It is expected to support more targeted pollution-control measures and improve air-quality forecasting. Jitendra Singh said the initiative would move air-quality monitoring beyond measuring pollution levels to identifying their composition and sources, enabling authorities to take evidence-based action.
