LA TRINIDAD – The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Municipality of La Trinidad will soon have their own air quality monitoring station.
DENR-EMB Cordillera OIC-Regional Director Reynaldo Digam said the P2.5 million air quality station was sourced from a private company who will set – up monitoring equipment in Buguias.
Digam added the project was realized through the initiative of the Cities Clean Air Partnership Program (CCAP) through Clean Air Asia with the equipment arriving soon.
The air quality monitoring station will be housed at the La Trinidad Strawberry Fields and will collect data to observe long-term trends related to car emissions, develop and evaluate reduction schemes, and determine exposure and assess the effects of air pollution on health, vegetation and building materials.
The machine will also measure particulate matter in the air and meteorological parameters of wind speed and direction, ambient temperature and relative humidity, and vertical wind speed.
Digam said the new machine is expected to improve the municipality’s ambient air quality and raise awareness among residents and hopes to improve air quality in the town, which is frequented not only by tourists but also farmers and – traders.
In 2014, Baguio opened their air monitoring system at Burnham Park to prove the city’s air remains breathable contrary to reports of the World Health Organization.
Based on Clean Air Initiative Study made in 2010, Baguio has the highest presence of Particulate Matter 2.5 at 49 micrograms per cubic meter compared to Cebu and Manila which has only a PM 2.5 concentration of 22 micrograms per cubic meter.
In terms of Particulate Matter 10 (PM 10), the city has some 107 micrograms per cubic meter of pollutants compared to Cebu with 47 micrograms per cubic meter and Manila with 49 micrograms per cubic meter of PM 10.