ID :
186120
Thu, 06/02/2011 - 15:39
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https://oananews.org//node/186120
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New Air Quality Monitoring Stations to Be Installed Around Qatar
Doha, June 02 (QNA) - The Qatar Environment and Energy Institute at Qatar Foundation (QEERI), in partnership with Total and the Ministries of Environment, Health and Energy, will install five air quality and weather monitoring stations around Qatar in addition to the five stations already in place, Qatari English daily "Gulf Times" said Thursday.
The pilot air monitoring project will also install micro-sensors along some roads to monitor automobile emission levels, which are related to respiratory diseases and minimize the increased risk due to climate change.
It will also monitor other matter that may carry with it toxic chemicals or other harmful components related to the oil and gas industry as well as automobiles.
In co-operation with its partners, QEERI will use air quality analysis and weather data to map air condition across Doha, the Institute's Executive Director Rabi Mohtar
told the Gulf Times.
Stations are already in place at the Ministry of Environment, Qatar University and Carnegie Mellon University, however the final locations of the new monitoring systems have not yet been determined.
They will be positioned to best complement current systems in order to provide a more complete picture of Doha s air environment, according to officials.
Part of a national programme being conducted by the Ministry of Environment, the project should be collecting data by early autumn and will initially run for one year.
" Proper modeling of sources of pollutants and weather conditions should enable experts to predict visibility and air quality indexes up to a day in advance, allowing authorities to adopt proactive policies," Mohtar explained .
In 2010, they were around 754,439 vehicles on the road in Qatar in 2010, according to an estimate.
As a significant component of car exhaust, Carbon monoxide reduces the flow of oxygen in the blood stream and is dangerous to people with heart disease, according to US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) .
While Nitrogen oxides, produced both by cars and industrial facilities, react with volatile organic compounds to produce ozone and smog at ground level.
The world demand for energy is increasing, especially in Qatar where an expanding economy is matched by a rising population. This places pressure on the local environment and contributes to global carbon emissions.
QEERI s goal is to make sure that Qatar is able to meet its growing demand for electricity production in safe, consistent and environmentally sustainable ways.
Its environmental work focuses on Qatar s desert and marine ecologies, plant and animal life and air quality.
The Institution works on contaminants affecting humans considers issues such as lead and mercury levels in the environment, carbon emissions and other pollutants that pose risks for human health.
The pilot air monitoring project will also install micro-sensors along some roads to monitor automobile emission levels, which are related to respiratory diseases and minimize the increased risk due to climate change.
It will also monitor other matter that may carry with it toxic chemicals or other harmful components related to the oil and gas industry as well as automobiles.
In co-operation with its partners, QEERI will use air quality analysis and weather data to map air condition across Doha, the Institute's Executive Director Rabi Mohtar
told the Gulf Times.
Stations are already in place at the Ministry of Environment, Qatar University and Carnegie Mellon University, however the final locations of the new monitoring systems have not yet been determined.
They will be positioned to best complement current systems in order to provide a more complete picture of Doha s air environment, according to officials.
Part of a national programme being conducted by the Ministry of Environment, the project should be collecting data by early autumn and will initially run for one year.
" Proper modeling of sources of pollutants and weather conditions should enable experts to predict visibility and air quality indexes up to a day in advance, allowing authorities to adopt proactive policies," Mohtar explained .
In 2010, they were around 754,439 vehicles on the road in Qatar in 2010, according to an estimate.
As a significant component of car exhaust, Carbon monoxide reduces the flow of oxygen in the blood stream and is dangerous to people with heart disease, according to US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) .
While Nitrogen oxides, produced both by cars and industrial facilities, react with volatile organic compounds to produce ozone and smog at ground level.
The world demand for energy is increasing, especially in Qatar where an expanding economy is matched by a rising population. This places pressure on the local environment and contributes to global carbon emissions.
QEERI s goal is to make sure that Qatar is able to meet its growing demand for electricity production in safe, consistent and environmentally sustainable ways.
Its environmental work focuses on Qatar s desert and marine ecologies, plant and animal life and air quality.
The Institution works on contaminants affecting humans considers issues such as lead and mercury levels in the environment, carbon emissions and other pollutants that pose risks for human health.
