site.btaNational Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology to Work on Sofia Air Quality

107 ENVIRONMENT - NIMH - MOVE - NEW PROJECTS - AIR QUALITY

National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology
to Work on Sofia
Air Quality


Sofia, January 3 (BTA) - The Bulgarian National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH) continues to function at full capacity in the new year. From January 1, 2019, NIMH, along with its tangible assets and financial allocations, is no longer part of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) and has been transferred to the Education and Science Ministry.

The Institute is carrying out its activities without interruption, Education and Science Minister Krassimir Vulchev told journalists after visiting NIMH on Thursday. He added that issues regarding parts of certain properties are yet to be dealt with.

Along with continuing all of its scientific projects, the Institute has initiated some new ones, including a project related to air pollution, said NIMH Director Prof. Plamen Ninov and former director Prof. Hristomir Brunzov. The project aims to determine through scientific methods which of the two sources of air pollution - transport or household heating - is prevalent, which is the subject of an ongoing public debate. In another project, NIMH will examine pollution sources outside the capital to determine their exact percentage as the current estimates are between 10 and 50 per cent, which is a big difference, the researchers said.

Those projects are initiated by Sofia Municipality with the support of the Education and Science Ministry. They were planned in the middle of 2018 and results are expected in a year.

A joint project with the Interior Ministry will seek to improve the flood warning systems. LY/DT




/DT/