CSIR-NEERI mobile units to monitor air pollution across India

National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), a wing of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will monitor air pollution in metropolitan cities across the country over the next year.

Launching CSIR-NEERI mobile emission monitoring and control laboratory (MEMCL) unit in Nagpur on the World Environment Day today, union minister for science and technology and ministry of earth sciences, Harsh Vardhan, has called for a culture of responsible consumerism.

The mobile air pollution unit, which the minister flagged off for the benefit of Nagpur today, will subsequently be taken to all the major cities of the country. After year-long surveys and observations, CSIR-NEERI would be in a position to propose effective solutions for adoption on a war footing, an official release said.

Keeping in mind the need for effective monitoring and corrective measures, the mobile unit will undertake pollution monitoring on a nationwide scale over the next year.        

Speaking to newsmen after attending a series of events in Nagpur today, the minister said that air pollution in India's metropolitan cities is recognised as a major threat to the future generations.

Instead of chasing 'instant' gratification, Harsh Vardhan said, consumers as responsible citizens should bear in mind their real needs. They should also be conscious of public transportation and ethical purchases.

''We must join the growing world community of safety and environment conscious consumers who are aware of the cradle to grave implications of the production of whatever they buy. We must also conserve with a view to tomorrow - spare enough for the coming generations,'' he said.

The mobile emission monitoring unit is capable of real time sampling, analysis and control of air pollution from sources through flue gas treatability studies. It is equipped with a number of innovative technologies that enhances the CSIR-NEERI's air monitoring capabilities.

CSIR-NEERI proposes to promote green solutions in the air, water, energy and other environmental sectors at local, regional, and international levels. Towards this, it will open doors of its `Harit Sangrahalaya' in Nagpur to individuals, industries and organisations to adopt best eco-friendly practices, to raise their contribution to sustainable development.

The `Harit Sanghrahalaya' includes a ''Kids Section'' under which the virtue of biodiversity has been showcased with beautiful illustrations.

Some working models have been prepared based on the CSIR-NEERI technologies and placed in the Sangrahalaya to highlight the electrolytic defluoridation process used to remove fluoride from water, phytorid technology for sewage treatment, ''NEERI-ZAR'' portable instant water filter, solid waste to biogas plant, decolourisation of effluent of textile industry, and common effluent treatment plant for industrial wastewater treatment.
 
''I hope that through this museum the people of Nagpur, who are dwelling at the hub of Maharasthra and India's industrial growth, would see for themselves how they can themselves play a role in striking a balance between the demands and responsibilities of modern living. I congratulate the scientists and technologists of CSIR-NEERI for coming up with this wonderful idea,'' he said.
 
The proposed biotechnology park project envisages the utilisation of municipal solid waste (MSW) and organic biomass as raw material for bio-fuels to address the waste management issues at reduced cost. The project would deploy biological and thermal processing options to propose the most economic and strategic option.
 
Dr Harsh Vardhan said that waste management is one of the key priorities of the government's environment policy. The long-term goal for the development is to become a recycling society that uses waste as a resource. Multitudes of the processes are available for utilisation of waste for bio-fuels, he added.