THE air quality monitoring station in KM0 at Session Road is up for rehabilitation.
Environment Management Bureau chief for Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Wilhelmina Lagunilla stressed just because a new air quality monitoring station was set up in Burnham Park does not mean the one in KM0 will be replaced or removed.
She highlighted the monitoring station will continue to collect data and determine the air quality in the area with the highest PM10 concentration or the worst air quality in the central business district once rehabilitation is done.
The rehabilitation will include restoration of the shelter of the equipment, upgrading of the PM10 monitoring equipment to PM2.5 and calibration of the Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) which measures pollutant gases such as nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, benzene, toluene and para-xylene among others.
The monitoring station at Plaza Garden was temporarily shut down by the EMB because the shelter of the equipment needs rehabilitation.
According to Lagunilla, weather conditions have caused damages to the shelter which may also affect the DOAS and PM10 monitoring equipment inside if they continue to operate it.
She noted the EMB is already considering upgrading the PM10 monitoring equipment to PM2.5 to a more advanced equipment for a more accurate data.
Meanwhile, the DOAS in the station is currently up for its annual calibration. The calibration for every parameter will cost around P250,000.
Lagunilla said the equipment, if well maintained can last even up to 20 years.
Even the internet connection inside the station will also be upgraded from the conventional type DSL internet connection to Wimax for faster transmission of data, said Lagunilla.
Aside from the roadside ambient monitoring Down Session Road, mobile air stations established in BLISTT areas and the general ambient air quality monitoring station in Burnham, Lagunilla revealed EMB is planning to put up another in a residential area to determine the relative connections of the different air quality results to the quality of the whole in Baguio City.
Moreover, Lagunilla urged the LGU to work with them in coming up with the up to date emission inventory of the city so they may be able to determine which among anthropogenic or human generated pollutants is the main source of pollution in the city.
She ended the data of the updated emission inventory must urge and serve as basis in the formulation of city ordinances and other actions to be executed by the city government officials to address issues in pollution.