The Persistent Organic Pollutants are of concern globally for their high persistence in the environment and ability to transport through various pathways. These pollutants do not disintegrate easily causing various serious short-term and life-long health affects. The Persistent Organic Pollutants identified for priority action globally under Stockholm Convention include Pesticides - Aldrin, Dieldrin, Endrin, Chlordane, Heptachlor, DDT, Toxaphene, Mirex, HCB; Poly-chlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs); Polychlorinated dibenzo - para - dioxin (PCDDs) and Polychlorinated dibenzo-furan (PCDFs). There exists legal framework in the country dealing with POPs under The Hazardous Waste (Management & Handling) Rules. However, there is a need for upgradation and strengthening of monitoring facilities for POPs.

The CPCB Laboratories are regularly strengthened in terms of instruments/equipment, expertise, and technical capabilities to undertake the national task of environmental assessment and pollution control in the country. Various national and international bilateral programme are providing much needed support for this endeavor. The development of trace organic laboratory for the analysis of trace organics and POPs is one such activity for capacity building and strengthening that is being undertaken in collaboration with Indo-German Bilateral Programme GTZ-ASEM. This National Reference Laboratory is being established with following objectives:

• Trace Level Organics Analysis including POPs in various matrices

• Development of relevant Laboratory Infrastructure

• Training to Personnel of CPCB & SPCBs/PCCs

• Providing Services and Establishing Co-operation and Co-ordination among stakeholders

Technical specifications for analytical instruments, ancillary equipments and infrastructural support have already been finalized. Procurement of instruments/equipments is in the final stage. Layout plans of laboratory, air handling system, air cleaning system and air conditioning have been finalized. Civil works for restructuring of the allocated space, installation of air handling system, air cleaning system and air conditioning are being undertaken.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins (PCDDs) and Polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) are environmental contaminants usually present in diverse environmental matrices.

75 PCDDs and 135 PCDFs congeners have been reported till date among which 7 PCDDs and 10 PCDFs are internationally identified having considerable toxicity. Concentrations of these ultra-trace compounds in environmental matrices may vary from sub-ppt (parts per trillion) and may reach upto ppm (parts per million) level. There exists no laboratory in the country, which is having exhaustive facilities for analysis of PCDDs and PCDFs in environmental matrices. Therefore, the project is undertaken with following major objectives:

The Central Pollution Control Board collated information on Dioxin and Furan and their environmental status and published in `PARIVESH’ Newsletter "Dioxin (PCDD) and Furan (PCDF) – Persistent Organic Pollutants". Mr. Bernd Schilling, a dioxin expert from ERGO Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg, Germany engaged under the GTZ-ASEM Programme visited CPCB Laboratories between 14^th to 21^st January, 2005 to provide inputs in development of infrastructure facilities for measurement of Hazardous Organic Compounds, Dioxin and Furan. The visiting expert made a presentation on dioxin analysis discussing various monitoring and analysis requirements.

The Central Pollution Control Board has been allocated an amount of Rs.4.84 crores under Japanese Debt Relief Grant Assistance for procurement of various equipments by Department of Economic Affairs. CPCB has undertaken MOU with NTPC Consultancy Wing, Noida for various procurement procedures through International Bidding.

The Technical Committee was constituted at CPCB for finalization of Technical specifications of equipment to be procured. The finalized technical specifications have been included in Bid Documents. Notification inviting tender has been published in various newspapers for procurement of 11 packages of equipments. The bidders have submitted their bids in two stages – Technical bid and Financial Bid. The Technical bid process was completed in March, 2005 and the financial bids of technical qualifying bidders were opened and Letter of Award placed to successful bidders. The procurement of instruments is in progress.

Trihalomethanes (THMs) occur in drinking water principally as a product of reaction of chlorine with naturally occurring organic material and bromide that may also be present. Occurrence of natural organic matter such as humic acid and fulvic acid in water are mainly responsible for the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs). With respect to drinking water contamination, four members of THMs viz. chloroform, dichlorobromomethane, dibromochloromethane and bromoform are important. World Health Organisation (WHO) has already enacted the health related guidelines values in drinking water in 1993. In order to standardise measurement methodology and regularly monitor the presence of these compounds in drinking water, the infrastructure facilities have been developed at CPCB Laboratories. The raw and finished water samples were collected from various water treatment plants at Delhi and being analyzed for Trihalomethane levels.

Procedure for sampling, extraction, cleanup (removal of co-extracted interfering compounds) and GC-MS operating conditions have been optimized for analysis of 28 selected congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in surface water, wastewater, sludge and soil samples. The developed methodology is being used for analysis of water and sludge samples from River Yamuna.

The Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF), Government of India, in collaboration with the Environment Canada, is implementing the Canada-India Institutional Strengthening Project funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The project is designed for strengthening the institutional capacity to address environmental issues of national priorities & global concern and to promote sound development. Under this project the Central Pollution Control Board organized two workshops at Delhi and Hyderabad on 24-25^th January 2005 and 27-28^th January 2005. The workshops focused on laboratory management, quality control principles and practices. These workshops were attended by Laboratory Managers from Central Pollution Control Board, various State Pollution Control Boards and Customs Laboratories. The team of three Canadian Expert provided seminar presentations during the workshops and had consultation with laboratory managers and scientist on Laboratory Management, Quality Control concepts and shared Canadian lab management practices.

Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funded Canada-India Institutional Strengthening Project is being implemented by the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF), Government of India, in collaboration with the Environment Canada.

As part of this initiative, LEHDER Environmental Services was retained by Environment Canada to conduct training and auditing for the Central Pollution Control Board in New Delhi, India from March 14 to 18, 2005. An expert has been deputed to provide training to Indian scientists in collecting stack samples adopting internationally recognized methods. Classroom lectures were carried out at the CPCB Headquarters, Delhi. On-site stack monitoring was performed at the Rajghat Thermal Power Station located at I.P. Estate, Ring Road in New Delhi. The major objectives of training programme were as below:

• Review and discuss requirement for sampling of other pollutants such as Mercury, Metals, Semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC’s) and Volatile Organic Compound (VOC).
• Evaluation of Stack Sampling method and techniques used presently in India during field testing programme at local power station.
• Assess utility of Stack sampling equipment for test parameters of interest and whether the equipment meets the criteria for effective stack monitoring.
• Identify additional training requirement at Canada or India.

The training programme was attended by technical officials from CPCB and various State Pollution Control Boards.

Central Pollution Control Board Zonal laboratory, Kolkata was accredited by NABL in June 2004. The laboratory is equipped with sophisticated instruments like AAS, GC, IC, AOX Analyser, Spectrofluorometer and Autotitrator. Besides, facilities are available for sampling of ambient air, stack emission, water, soil, sediment, biological matter etc. Quality assurance programme is well maintained. Performance of proficiency test conducted by CPCB, ITRC were satisfactory. In addition to measurement of general parameters, metals and pesticides in water, air and sediment and polyaromatic hydrocarbon and ions in ambient air and stack emissions are regularly measured and reported. The laboratory instruments are regularly calibrated with standards traceable to NIST. Based on the data on calibration and analytical results, measurement of uncertainty in chemical testing is being regularly done and highly appreciated by NABL assessors from time to time.

The environmental laboratories play a very important role for an effective pollution control programme to be effective as it provides qualitative as well as quantitative data for good decision making purpose. In order to provide infrastructural support for environmental pollution control activities, the environmental laboratories should have comprehensive analytical and infrastructure facilities, expertise for all groups of parameters including water, air, noise, hazardous waste, soil, sludge etc. Keeping this in view, an earlier published document for the evaluation and recognition of environmental laboratories has been updated and revised under Laboratory Analytical Technique Series: LATS/9/2005-06 (Revised & Updated version). The revised "Guidelines for evaluation and recognition of environmental laboratories" was approved for its implementation in 135^th Board Meeting held on 28.11.2005.

Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi had been delegated powers by Government of India vide Gazette Notification No. S.O. 145 (E) dated February 21, 1991 for recognizing environmental laboratories of Govt/ Semi-Govt organizations/ Public Sector Undertakings & Educational Institutions to carry out the functions entrusted to the Environmental laboratories under Section 12 (1) (b) & 13 of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. In exercise of powers conferred, Central Pollution Control Board approved new recognitions / renewed recognition granted to eight environmental laboratories during the period January to December, 2005.