SHARJAH // Seven air quality monitoring stations will be set up around the emirate to broadcast live data that can be accessed online by the public.
The stations, which will cost Dh5 million in total and form part of the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Network, will be installed in residential and industrial areas and be manned by 12 staff.
They include Al Falaj, Al Buhaira, Al Rahmania, Industrial Area 3, the American University of Sharjah and Al Batayeh, with the seventh being a mobile station.
The move will bring the number of monitoring stations in Sharjah to 15.
According to Bee’ah, the emirate’s environment and waste management company, the data gathered will be uploaded in real time to a website accessible by the public.
Levels of carbon monoxide, oxides of sulphur, oxides of nitrogen, ozone, as well as meteorological conditions such as temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and atmospheric pressure will all be measured.
Hassan Altaffaq, assistant director for agriculture and environment at Sharjah Municipality, said rapid development and growth in the emirate might raise the level of pollution.
“Sharjah Municipality has made sure, for many years, to address the pollution resulting from industrial and cultural development, through legislation and laws that guarantee the commitment of institutions with the environmental standards set by the municipality.”
The new stations are part of a collaboration between Bee’ah, the municipality and the American University of Sharjah. One has already been deployed, with the others due to be set up soon.
They will keep track of a range of data, from the composition of the air to wide-ranging meteorological conditions, said Khaled Al Huraimel, group chief executive at Bee’ah.
tzriqat@thenational.ae
