The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) next year targets 39 state-of-the art air quality monitoring (AQM) stations to further improve its nationwide anti-air pollution campaign.
EMB-AQM Section chief Jean Rosete noted the each of the station is worth P10 million. “We plan installing the stations in highly urbanized cities (HUCs) nationwide,” she said.
EMB, a line bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), has bared its expansion plan as latest available data presented during this week’s clean air forum show more work is needed to better improve the country’s air quality.
Such data show the country’s annual average level of air-polluting total suspended particulates (TSP) reached about 100 micrograms per normal cubic meter (ug/Ncm) in 2012.
Data also show 2012 TSP level in Metro Manila reached 119 ug/Ncm.
Both national and Metro Manila levels last year are already lower than the 145 ug/Ncm and 171 ug/Ncm TSP levels EMB monitored in 2004, respectively.
The 2012 levels still exceed the 90 ug//Ncm guideline value authorities set for TSP, however.
“There’s still a long way to go even if we already made significant improvements in our air quality,” EMB Dir. Juan Miguel Cuna earlier said during the forum.
He noted EMB monitoring also show roadside levels of particulate matter (PM) 10 exceed the 60 ug/Ncm guideline value for this pollutant. [PNA]
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