HEFEI -- China started building its first national engineering laboratory for atmospheric environmental monitoring on Sunday in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province.

Jointly launched by the Hefei government and Hefei Institute of Physical Science under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the lab aims to develop advanced monitoring technology and equipment for the country's environmental monitoring agencies and companies.

Liu Wenqing, director of the lab, said construction will last three years.

"The national engineering lab will research and develop advanced technology and equipment related to monitoring of fine particulate matter, gaseous pollutants, volatile organic compounds and heavy metals, as well as onboard and satellite telemetry systems," said Liu.

Yan Qing, director of the Bureau of Science and Technology for Development under the CAS, said that the new lab will put China's home-grown atmospheric environmental monitoring technology into domestic and international markets.

Tackling pollution has been listed as one of "the three tough battles" that China aims to win in the next three years, according to the Central Economic Work Conference, which concluded this month.