City Government Buys Air Quality Monitoring Machines

(PNA) — The Cebu City government has purchased two new mobile air quality monitoring machines, which cost the city Php2.5 million each.

Engr. Randy Navarro, officer-in-charge of the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO) and the Solid Waste Management Board, said the city has also bought two trucks to be used as carriers of the machines when they are moved around.

Navarro said they will prioritize in monitoring the air quality in areas in the city that are usually congested, such as Colon, Ayala, JY Square and Fuente.

Navarro said the machine only detects particulate matters, like smoke and dust.

It will also determine the wind’s velocity, direction and flow.

He said the machine can detect the degree of pollution in the air hourly.

CCENRO trained three of its personnel to operate and monitor the machines daily.

Navarro said that if results show that the air pollution in an area is above the standard set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, they will immediately check if the problem is due to smoke belching from cars or from nearby industries.

This way they can act on the problem properly, he said. (PNA) JBP/EB