site.btaEnvironment Minister Dimov Presents New System for Real-time Ambient Air Quality Monitoring

111 ENVIRONMENT - MINISTER - AIR QUALITY - MONITORING SYSTEM

Environment Minister Dimov
Presents New System for Real-time
Ambient Air Quality Monitoring


Sofia, May 30 (BTA) - Environment and Water Minister Neno Dimov participated Thursday in the presentation of a new system for providing information to the public about ambient air quality in real time, which was developed by the Executive Environment Agency (ExEA).

"With the new system, we try to be as close as possible to the way in which the European Environment Agency provides its data, so as to reach some equivalence," Dimov said, adding that when it comes to fine dust particles, the system uses their classification, including colour-wise, in order to make the most accessible visualization on screen.

The Minister noted that about 400 million leva has been put aside from Operational Programme Environment and is aimed at the issue with ambient air quality and, more specifically, with transport electrification. Another 80 million leva will be provided for domestic heating by the end of 2019. "The resources we provide to local authorities are substantial," Dimov said, adding that his Ministry expects results from the municipalities.

The system serves for visualizing data collected and processed by the National System for Environmental Monitoring (NSEM), and uses geographical maps for presenting the NSEM measurement stations. It allows for checking the concentration of the relevant pollutants, measured by a given station. Data about the measured concentrations is visualized with the help of charts.

Rossalina Indzhieva from the ExEA noted that the system has two parts, an administrative and a public one. The information system allows for checking data in real time, as well as for compiling background information on the measured on average hourly, daily or annual values of the relevant pollutants. Information can be gathered through the system for indexes such as fine dust particles (PM10, PM2.5), sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and meteorological parameters. The system includes information from 2015 up to this moment. Public data can be downloaded in a .pdf format. IG/TH
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