To
protect, monitor and to improve the quality of the environment and
preventing, controlling and alleviate environmental pollution is the need for
the hour to set up a separate monitoring agency for verifying, certifying
instruments and types of equipment for monitoring air quality. Hence in the
exercise of the powers conferred by section 3 of the Environment (Protection)
Act, 1986 (29 of 1986), the Central Government hereby designates the Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research - National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL) as
national verification agency for certifying instruments and equipment for
monitoring emissions and ambient air.
This
agency to develop the necessary infrastructure, management system, testing and
certification facilities conforming to international standards like ISO 17605
and ISO 17025 for both manual samplers and Continuous Ambient Air Quality
Monitoring Stations (CAQMS) in addition to Continuous Emission Monitoring
Systems (CEMS) beside this agency shall also be responsible for the preparation of
all documentation and protocol for measurements, in consultation with the
Central Pollution Control Board.
