DENR-EMB NCR, Manila LGU unveil Air Quality Monitoring Station at Mehan Garden

QUEZON CITY, July 18 (PIA) –The Department of Environment & Natural Resources’ Environment Management Bureau in the National Capital Region together with the City Government of Manila unveiled on Thursday, 16 July 2020, the Teledyne T640 PM Analyzer at the Mehan Garden in Manila.

The Teledyne T640 PM Analyzer, the first of its kind in the Philippines according to EMB-NCR Regional Director, Atty. Domingo M. Clemente, Jr., is an onsite Air Quality Monitoring Station (AQMS) that measures ambient particulate matter (PM) in real-time, providing concerned government agencies with much-needed data for planning and monitoring air pollution in the city.

Air pollution, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is one of the leading health hazards in many countries today, killing an estimated 7 million people every year (https://www.who.int/…/how-air-pollution-is-destroying-our-h…). Improving air quality thus is important and should be among the top priorities of local governments.

Prior to the unveiling, Manila City Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso and RD Clemente signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on the AQMS.

Mayor Isko revealed that he specifically requested DENR to install the AQMS in Manila, “para naman masukat natin ang effort ng city in making more open green spaces and cleaner air”. He also expressed the firm commitment of the City Government to expand and enhance ‘green spaces’ in Manila.

Atty. Alvin Joseph G. Constantino, Licenses, Patents and Deeds Division (LPDD) chief and concurrent Chief Environmental Officer of the West Field Office (WFO) of DENR National Capital Region, represented Regional Executive Director Jacqueline A. Caancan in the ceremony.

RED Caancan said that the AQMS will help fill data gaps on air quality monitoring, allowing policymakers to prepare more responsive plans on air pollution interventions.

“The AQMS not only measures ambient air pollution; it also helps determine possible sources of air pollution, providing environment officials science-based insight on the issue”, RED Caancan explained. (DENR-NCR/PIA-NCR)