BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera office of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB-CAR) stated that the air quality in the different parts of the city continues to improve based on third quarter results obtained from five designated ambient air quality monitoring stations as compared to the results gathered by the same stations during the second quarter of this year.
In his letter to Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan, EMB-CAR Regional Director Reynaldo S. Digamo stated that the five monitoring stations in the city were located at the Mile High Center and Ayala Techno Hub at Camp John Hay, EMB-CAR grounds in Pacdal, Plaza Garden along Lower Session Road and Burnham Park.
The EMB-CAR official revealed results obtained at the Camp John Hay and EMB-CAR grounds during the third quarter monitoring were within the National Ambient Air Quality Guidelines (NAAQGV) and within the good range of air quality index.
However, he noted that results at the Mile High Center has decreased by 16 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) as compared to the results obtained during the second quarter monitoring for this year, from 32 µg/m3 down to 16 µg/m3.
Digamo added that results at the Ayala Techno hub has reportedly increased by 2 µg/m3, from 30 µg/m3 to 32 µg/m3, and results from the EMB-CAR grounds had decreased by 22 µg/m3, from 28 µg/m3 to only 6 µg/m3, during the third quarter monitoring period.
Further results obtained at the Plaza Garden monitoring station along Lower Session Road were said to be within the fair range of air quality index considering that the average results compared to the second quarter monitoring this year decreased by 18 µg/m3, from 94 µg/m3 down to 76 µg/m3.
Based on the monitoring of the particulate matter (PM) in the city’s air by the monitoring station installed within Burnham Park, results obtained for suspended particulate matter were within the national standards at 150 and 50 µg/m3.
For PM, he claimed that the average data results obtained as compared to the second quarter monitoring for this year has decreased by 22 µg/m3, from 57 µg/m3 to 35 µg/m3.
Moreover, for suspended particulate matter, the average data results obtained as compared to the second quarter monitoring for this year has decreased by 5 µg/m3 from 20 µg/m3 to 15 µg/m3.
The conduct of the regular ambient air quality monitoring is pursuant to the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) 8749, otherwise known as the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999, and its implementing rules and regulations.
As of an offshoot of the mandate, the ambient monitoring and technical services section of the environmental monitoring and enforcement division of the EMB-CAR conducted 24-hour exposure ambient air quality sampling and monitoring at the established sampling stations.
By Dexter A. See
