A modern air quality monitoring centre was inaugurated at Dhaka University yesterday.

The centre, Air Quality Research and Monitoring Centre (AQRMC), will measure the quality of air in the country, and provide information on air pollutants so that measures can be taken against them.

University Grants Commission Chairman Prof AK Azad Chowdhury inaugurated the centre at the senate building on the campus.  

The centre has been set up under the Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP) of the World Bank, and it was implemented by UGC in collaboration with Wuppertal University, Germany.

Charge D Affairs of Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Dhaka Ferdinand von Weyhe called the centre an outcome of academic exchange programmes between Bangladesh and Germany and said, “This mutual collaboration and cooperation between these two countries will continue in the days to come."   

Pro Vice Chancellor (Administration) Prof Shahid Akhter Hossain said the link to the centre's webpage would be made available on DU's official website. 

“We have already set up a station on the campus and a machine has arrived from Germany. Researchers have begun working…but we need to formulate policies before disclosing information on the website,” said Prof Shahid, who is also the sub-project manager.

He added that the machine would give updates on the quality of air round-the-clock.