Sensors for measuring air quality to be set in Moldovan capital

Chisinau, 6 June /MOLDPRES/ - Sensors for measuring the air quality will be set on the principal streets from those five districts of the Chisinau municipality. The equipment will monitor the level of air’s pollution 24 hours and the data is to be delivered in real time to a web portal.      
The intelligent equipment will be installed by Orange Moldova on the months to come, within a grants programme launched by the Moldova Sustainable Green Cities Project, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).     
„The equipment has been already bought. The sensors will monitor more air pollution indexes according to the standard ISO 37120:2018 „Sustainable cities and communities – indicators for city services and quality of life”. The sensors will be connected to the Internet and so the data collected will be sent in real time to a dashboard. The information on the pollution level and its evolution during time will be updated each minute,” a decision-maker from Orange Moldova, Andrei Preasca, said.    
The equipment will measure the following parameters: ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), suspension powders (according to the EU’s requirements of calculation of the air quality index), level of noise, temperature, air pressure and humidity. The suspension powders (PM10 and PM2.5) are fine particles, generated by industry, traffic and heating of dwellings.  
The exact locations are to be selected in partnership with the State Hydrometeorological Service (SHS). This will be the first network of measuring and visualizing the air quality in Chisinau in real time.
„The polluted air is a decisive factor in the triggering of multiple respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. At the same time, many pollutants from the air cause global warming, for instance, the carbon produced by the diesel engines from the open burning of waste, etc. It is important that we know the level of pollutants in the air, in order to be able to develop programmes on the prevention of air’s pollution and to start actions of diminishing the air’s pollution. The accessibility of data in real time will be useful for people, who will be able to avoid certain zones or time intervals with increased pollution level,” a specialist in programmes at UNDP Moldova, Inga Podoroghin, said.    
Presently, the air’s quality is monitored by the Laboratory for Atmospheric Air Quality, which has in its network eight stationary monitoring posts (6 in Chisinau and 2 in Balti). The data on the air pollution level is collected thrice a day and daily and monthly reports are worked out based on this data. According to the World Health Organization, about 91 per cent of the Earth’s residents breath  polluted air, which triggers seven million deaths per year.  
The Moldova Sustainable Green Cities Project, with a duration of five years: 2018-2022, has an overall budget of 2.72 million dollars, of which 2.64 million dollars is provided by the Global Environment Facility and 80,000 dollars – by UNDP Moldova.