Jitendra Singh inaugurates world’s first-of-its-kind air pollution analysis facility for Delhi NCR
New Delhi: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on October 24 inaugurated what he described as the world’s first-of-its-kind air pollution analysis facility for Delhi NCR. The Integrated Atmospheric Chemistry and Aerosol Toxicity Analysis Laboratory (AATAL) can also identify the sources of air pollution in real time.
Dr Jitendra Singh is the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space. He said the facility focuses on Delhi-NCR because of serious public concern over air pollution there. It will go beyond reporting pollution levels to identify what pollutants are made of, where they come from, how much each source contributes and their possible health effects, he said. It will also provide real-time information and advance forecasts to support timely action.
The inauguration took place at the Delhi branch of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). Ministry of Earth Sciences Secretary Dr T. Srinivasa Kumar, IITM Director Dr A. Suryachandra Rao and IMD Director General Dr Mahapatra were present. The facility comes under Mission Mausam, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to deepen scientific understanding of atmospheric pollution and provide actionable evidence for air-quality management in Delhi-NCR. The laboratory combines advanced atmospheric measurement instruments, detailed chemical analysis, pollution-source identification and decision-support tools in one integrated framework.
Addressing the gathering, the Minister said India has made substantial progress in air-quality forecasting and analysis over the past 10–12 years. He called the new facility a significant step forward, as it will help establish not only how much pollution is in the air but also what it contains and where it originates.
“Earlier, the discussion would largely revolve around whether the pollution level was 100 or 200,” he said. The facility will help authorities understand the composition of pollution and the contribution of different sources, he added. This matters for addressing the concerns of Delhi’s residents and ensuring that action rests on scientific evidence, he said.
AATAL will help scientists tell apart sources such as vehicular emissions, industrial activity, biomass and crop-residue burning, construction and road dust, and pollutants carried in from surrounding regions. By estimating each source’s relative share, it will show authorities which activities drive poor air quality at a given time and where action may work best.
Explaining real-time source apportionment, Dr Jitendra Singh pointed to the screen while speaking to reporters. At that moment, it showed transport contributing about 25 per cent of Delhi’s air pollution, with the overall pollution level at around 180. He said such data could shift the response from general assessments to targeted interventions based on the actual sources.
AATAL to analyse PM2.5, metals and toxic elements
The laboratory has advanced instruments to analyse the chemical composition of atmospheric gases and aerosols, including fine particulate matter (PM2.5), metals, toxic elements and other components. These tools will help scientists study how pollutants interact and transform in the atmosphere and how each component adds to the overall pollution burden. The Minister said the facility will shed light on smaller constituents of air pollution, including metallic elements and other potentially harmful components. Pollutants can differ in their health effects, so understanding their composition and possible toxicity matters as much as their concentration, he explained.
The resulting evidence can help health authorities better understand the risks posed by different types of particulate pollution. It can also support closer coordination among scientific institutions, health agencies and environmental authorities in assessing the public health impact of air pollution.
The laboratory is integrated with IITM’s AIRWISE, the Air Quality Warning and Integrated Decision Support System for Emissions, which combines air-quality forecasts, observations and source-apportionment data to support pollution management. The project team said AIRWISE provides forecasts at a 400-metre spatial resolution for the next 72 hours, allowing it to assess how pollution may vary across different pockets of Delhi. It can also flag the sources expected to worsen air quality in specific locations. Dr Jitendra Singh said the integrated system will provide real-time information as well as forecasts for the next four days, helping authorities prepare for changing conditions.
Dr Sachin Ghude, Project Director, MAQWS, said the facility will strengthen air-quality management in Delhi-NCR through early warnings and detailed information on pollution sources such as stubble burning, vehicular emissions, construction and road dust. He said the information will help the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and other implementing agencies identify major sources, plan targeted interventions and assess their effectiveness.
Dr Ghude added that the forecasting system’s 400-metre resolution over 72 hours allows authorities to assess pollution levels and their likely sources for individual pockets of Delhi. Calling it a major technological advance, he said India has developed a high-resolution system comparable with global forecasting systems, with the potential to extend similar capabilities to other cities.
Stressing coordination, Dr Jitendra Singh said no single department working in isolation can tackle air pollution. He described the initiative as an example of the whole-of-government approach advocated by Prime Minister Modi, bringing together scientific institutions, environmental authorities, pollution-control agencies and disaster-management stakeholders. Coordinated engagement among the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, pollution-control authorities and disaster-management agencies will be key to turning scientific information into effective action, he said.
For CAQM and other implementing agencies, the facility will offer measurement-based evidence to pinpoint the sources behind deteriorating air quality, prioritise sectors and locations for intervention and support coordinated measures across Delhi-NCR. Combined with AIRWISE forecasts, this information can strengthen preventive and response decisions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). By bringing together real-time measurements, chemical characterisation, source apportionment and forecasting, AATAL links advanced atmospheric science with public policy and on-ground action.
